Twisted Fate
by Annejackdanny
Summary: kid-fic, AU, Little Daniel (shrunk, aware), h/c, angst When ten year old Daniel Jackson touches something he shouldn't he ends up stranded in an alternate reality - and nothing is as it used to be. This story contains very mild slash, but nothing graphic. Additional warnigns: language, violence. Could be considered sort of death fic, but it's not really a death fic.
1. Chapter 1 The Sphere

**Twisted Fate**

Prologue

_He can see the blinding light from the hand ribbon device. Carter's eyes are huge, pools of dark swimming in the white grimace that's her face. She screams and he can't reach her, can't move. _

_He's cold to the bones, shivering, teeth clattering._

_Carter's screams are mingled with the distorted sound of Hathor's little toy and the snake's mildly disappointed voice, "I had hopes for you."_

_He grits his teeth to stop them from clattering. It takes all his willpower to move even a muscle. But he gets up from the ground, willing his protesting limbs to obey, crawling a good part of the way until he's behind Hathor. _

_Slowly he comes to his knees, to his feet._

_And then his arms close around the bitch, in an awkward strangling embrace. _

_Hathor howls in rage and tries to get rid of him, but he holds on to her, not sure where he's getting the energy from. Hate maybe. Hate's a pretty good motivation._

"_We will destroy you for this!" she snarls._

Oh yeah? Guess what...

"_We would just like you to go away!" It doesn't even take much of a wrestle to throw her into the cryogenic pit where she disappears with a final theatrical scream. _

Gotcha. Another one down.

_There's no time for celebration though._

_He looks after Carter and she's okay. He pulls her to her feet and they share some body heat for a moment. He feels like a frigging Popsicle. _

_But he's himself. Not snaked. Not blended. _

_Carter, who still holds on to him, gives a quick report. "Colonel Raynolds came through with half a dozen SG teams to rescue us. But Trofsky's got us cut off from the Stargate. He's using an energy barrier. It originates from somewhere in this facility. The plan is to blow it before General Hammond sends reinforcements."_

Great plan. "_And how do we plan to do that?"_

_It's the Tok'ra who's helped him to get rid of his symbiote that answers him. "What you seek is hidden within the mockup of your Stargate facility."_

_He thaws some more as he follows Carter through the corridors of the faked SGC until they end up in the "gate room". Doesn't take long for them to find the generator and attach the C4 to it, set to detonate by remote. _

_Now all they have to do is get outta here and to the gate._

Piece of cake, right?

Wrong.

_They make it outside, a landscape consisting mostly of sand, slit and small shrubs. They take cover behind an embankment. The gate is in sight, but they know there's the invisible barrier between them and..._

"_This part of your plan, Carter?" _

"_No, sir," she says, exhaustion lacing her voice._

_Reynolds and his team are kneeling in front of the gate, guarded by Trofsky and a handful of Jaffa. Daniel is with them, his face slightly bruised. _

"_I know you are still out there, Captain Carter! I grow tired of this. Surrender now, or your friends will be killed one by one," Trofsky threatens and aims his zat at the back of Daniel's head._

"_Don't listen to him, Sam!" Daniel yells, his voice steady and determined._

"_Silence! I will give you one minute," Trofsky oh so generously offers, the zat still pointed at Daniel, not wavering. _

_Carter bites her lip and whispers, "The reinforcements should come through in a couple of minutes. We could detonate the C4."_

"_No. Trofsky's going to start shooting any minute. We gotta buy some time... He thinks I'm a Goa'uld, right?"_

_Carter nods and he tells her to blow the C4 the minute the cavalry comes through the gate. _

"_What if they don't?"_

Excuse me? That kind of attitude isn't acceptable on my team. "_What if they _don't_?" _

"_Uh... They will, they will."_

"_That's better."_

_He scrambles over the embankment and heads across the clearing, towards the waiting Jaffa. This is probably a bluff Daniel would handle better as he's more skilled with the language. But Daniel's on the wrong side of the barrier with a zat aimed at his neck._

"_Jaffa, kree!" _Hey, that's not too bad, right?

_Trofsky yells back, "Kel mak, Goa'uld! Kree tak!"_

Okay, right, that's... different. _His and Daniel's eyes meet over the distance. Daniel frowns, trying to figure out who's talking... _

"_You heard me, I said Kree!"_

_With that he has blown it and Daniel's eyes widen as he calls out. "Jack?!"_

_Trofsky fires._

_And fires._

_And Jack leaps forward in slow motion, his lips moving, yelling Daniel's name... _

... Jack woke with a start, his sweat drenched limbs tangled in something. He was tied up... Struggling against the restraints, the colonel twisted and turned – and fell out of his bed, the covers still slung around his body.

Slowly he peeled himself out of the blanket and sat up, rubbing the back of his head where he'd hit the hard wooden floor of his bedroom.

_Damn_, he thought as he heaved himself off the ground and traipsed into the bathroom, splashing cold water into his face, still only semi awake. The nightmare lingered in his mind like the scent of bad rented sex would linger in the bedsheets long after the hooker was gone. And yeah, he knew that was a screwed up analogy but it was too early to think straight anyway.

That nightmare was an old foe. Among all the other nightmares of course. So getting up at the odd hours of the night to chase the ghosts away was routine by now.

Grimacing, Jack grabbed his tooth mug, filled it and gulped down the water in one guzzle. He knew from experience he wouldn't get any more sleep for a while, so he pulled on some sweats, slipped into socks and shoes and, on his way to his backdoor, grabbed his leather jacket.

Jack O'Neill, USAF colonel, climbed the platform to his roof and sat down at his telescope to look at the cold night sky for a while.

The stars used to calm him even though he knew about the threat out there, lurking beyond them. But the times where the stars gave him comfort were long gone. Frankly, he didn't really know why he still came up here so often. Jack gazed at the Milky Way, knowing each star constellation by heart – and felt nothing.

Nothing but...

_Jack?_

... the fading whispering voice inside his head... a voice from the nightmare. From the past. Just another nightmare. Just another mission gone wrong. No wait... Hathor was dead. So it actually had been a success and earned him some extra brownie points.

For a while anyway. Until he screwed up everything else.

Swell.

**1**

"_You heard me, I said Kree!"_

_Daniel tries not to be too hopeful, but that sounds suspiciously like... "Jack?!"_

_And it is Jack. Somehow Jack must have gotten rid of the Goa'uld Hathor put into him... _

"_Hey guys. Makepeace, nice rescue. Good job!" _

_He has never been so glad to hear Jack's voice as he is now. Trofsky is still standing behind Daniel, the zat pointed at him. _

"_Silence!" the Goa'uld barks._

It takes more than that to make Jack shut up_, Daniel thinks, and almost smiles. _

"_All right, listen up. There's something you should know before you start shooting and killing and ruining what could be the start of a beautiful friendship. Our beloved Hathor… is dead." _

_Trofsky isn't happy at Jack's revelation. "What you say is impossible. Hathor is a queen. More than that, she is a goddess."_

"_Yeah, ok, ex-goddess, maybe. I killed her myself. You should trust me on this, she's gone. She is no more. She's… well, let's face it, she's a former queen. So why don't we just put an end to this right now?"_

_Daniel feels the anger radiating off the Goa'uld standing behind him. He is scared and almost wishes Jack would stop antagonizing Trofsky. Daniel feels like he needs to go to the bathroom, but of course he can't do that right now. His stomach is all queasy and he hopes he isn't going to throw up. Trofsky might shoot him if he does._

_But instead of zatting Daniel, Trofsky moves away from him, yelling at Jack, "We will end this with your surrender!"_

_And there it is... Daniel hears the chevrons as they activate and the gate begins to spin..._

_Trofsky barks out orders. "Jaffa, kree, Chappa'ai!"_

_Jack yells at Sam. "Now!"_

_There's an explosion coming from Hathor's ship as something blows up. At the same time the gate opens and they all tumble forward and duck as a death glider races through... and immediately begins to fire at the Jaffa... _

_Daniel is much smaller these days than he used to be. So he can curl up into a ball and roll away from it all, behind a dune of sand._

_There's gun fire and yelling and dust and the smell of burn and the noises of staff blasts. Daniel raises his head and sees Jack running toward one of the turrets near the gate. _

_Trofsky has a staff. He whirls it around, aiming it at Jack's back._

"_Colonel!" Sam cries out a warning._

"_Jack!" Daniel is up and running, his bound hands useless behind his back. He has no idea how, but he has to reach Jack somehow... It's the instinctive reaction of a child that sees his father getting hurt... the part of Daniel's mind remembering who he really is, has shut down, the child taken over... he propels his small body forward... if something happens to Jack it'll be all Daniel's, fault... they went on this mission because of him. Because Sam said there might be technology on this planet to resize him... _

"_Daniel! Get down!" Jack yells._

_The staff blast whizzes over Daniel's head as he falls face down into the sand._

_When he looks up, sand and dirt on his face and between his teeth, Jack is dead..._

...Daniel bolted upright and bit his lip to suppress the scream that was about to burst out of him. His heart throbbed and thumped too loud and fast in his chest as he clutched his blankets with both hands.

"DanielJackson?" Teal'c's calm voice reached him in the semi dark quarters.

"I'm fine, Teal'c," Daniel whispered, sorry he had disturbed the Jaffa's Kel'no'reem once again.

"I do not think that is so," Teal'c replied without reprimand in his voice. "Do you need anything?"

Rubbing his burning eyes, Daniel shook his head. He looked around and the lights of the many candles pulled him out of the nightmare completely. He was grateful for the warm glow that seemed to wrap around him like a warm blanket.

"It was just a bad dream."

"Very well." Teal'c's large hand readjusted the covers as Daniel lay back down. "Try to sleep again. It is still early."

Daniel gazed at the ceiling and realized in an instant he wouldn't be able to sleep again. "Um, Teal`c?"

"Yes, DanielJackson?"

"Do you mind if I..."

"I do not."

Daniel left his bed and padded over to sit across the Jaffa. He mirrored Teal'c's position, sitting lotus style. Meditation had always calmed him and helped to get rid of the bad dreams and clear his cluttered mind. It just didn't work as good as it did when he still had been a grown up.

Obviously being ten messed with your attention span a lot.

He tried to open his mind and reach that state of relieved nothingness where he felt as if there was no burden on his shoulders and no pain in his life. It used to help him deal with so many things.

When he had been an adult.

Which he wasn't anymore.

Thanks to some weird thingamajig – that was what Jack had called it – Daniel Jackson, triple PhD, now resembled an approximately ten year old kid. Give or take a few months, according to Janet. The fact of being downsized and having to live like this had been scary in the beginning. And annoying because he wasn't allowed to go off world anymore and had to give up his position as head of the archaeological department. But as there was nothing he could do about it, he just went with the flow and tried to live his life as normal as possible under the circumstances. While Jack had still been around it even was fun sometimes.

And Jack had helped with everything, had been his anchor and – to some degree – his father.

Not anymore.

Daniel felt okay living with Teal'c most of the time by now.

What Daniel still struggled with was his lack of concentration for lengthy times and the limits this little body pushed him to. He began to wriggle his toes and there was an itch in his nose and then he felt his left eye twitch and he had to scratch his arm real bad.

The more he tried to still himself, the more annoying the itching got.

He guessed this was how Jack must have felt whenever he had to sit still and listen in briefings for longer than usual.

Daniel rubbed his nose and scratched his arm, then went still again, desperately trying to keep his thoughts away from Jack.

How could it still sting so much after almost a year?

Why did he still have to have this dream?

Daniel gazed down at his pajama-clad legs and his restless fingers found a loose thread to fiddle with.

"I do not believe this to be efficient," Teal'c's deep voice pulled him out of his thoughts.

"I'm sorry," Daniel mumbled and ducked his head.

"There is no need." Teal'c stood and looked down at him, a thoughtful expression on his dark face. "Come. We will walk."

Daniel jumped to his feet and grabbed for his miniature BDUs and black t-shirt. He went into the bathroom and dressed quickly. With Jack he had spent nights like this in front of a fire, being held by strong reassuring arms while the demons of his dreams were swept away in the always-present feeling of family and belonging.

Walking the SGC by night with his giant Jaffa was different, but Daniel had learned to seek comfort from this, too.

The SGC was different at nights.

When only the cleaning crew was busy and the on-duty SFs were patrolling the corridors. When only those who clearly had no life were still in their offices or labs. When even General Hammond had gone home... the SGC was quiet and only the humming of the air conditioning and the power generators could be heard on most levels.

Those were the times Daniel, the man, had loved as well. When he had been in his office only accompanied by coffee mugs and a box of cookies or chocolate to keep his blood sugar up, and his work.

After the downsizing those days had been over as he was hauled off the mountain and home at appropriate times to have dinner and where "working through the night" was a case of "not gonna happen".

Now the mountain was Daniel's home again and he kind of liked it. The SGC was familiar, safe and he was near his office and artifacts. Daniel still worked. He categorized artifacts and helped with translations. It wasn't overly exciting, but it was better than having to go back to school or doing nothing.

Teal'c and Daniel stopped at the control room and said hi to Sgt. Davis, who always seemed to be at the mountain as well. Walter had company. Siler was with him and they shared some coffee.

"One of those nights again?" Walter asked sympathetically and offered Daniel a tootsie roll.

"Ah-huh," Daniel said and took the roll. "Thanks."

"Sorry, it's not coffee," Walter said with a wink.

Janet had banned coffee from Daniel's life.

"It's okay." It wasn't. Not really. But he had gotten used to it. And he managed to sneak in a coffee here and there. Jack had given him coffee on the weekends for breakfast. Jack just understood Daniel's cravings and how hard it was for him to let go of simple things like coffee in the mornings...

Daniel unwrapped the tootsie roll and munched on it as they all gazed out at the silent gate. There were no incoming teams scheduled for tonight so the gate room was empty except for two armed SFs. If an emergency occurred, Walter would give the word and the gate would be heavily guarded again before the wormhole opened.

They stayed for a little while and, when Siler left to go back to work, continued their walk through the bowels of the mountain.

"Do you think Sam is still here?" Daniel wondered. "I know Thor came through the gate this morning, bearing a gift."

Teal'c's left eyebrow rose. "I was not aware you were informed about Thor's mission regarding the SGC."

"I wasn't. Err... I mean, I... not officially. I accidentally heard about it... somewhere," Daniel spluttered, blushing.

"I see."

Daniel only caught on the slight chastising undertone because he knew Teal'c so well.

"I don't know much, really. Only that Thor came through and brought something with him and then Sam and you and Doctor Rothman were stuck in that briefing for a very long time. And I didn't eavesdrop either. I kind of happened to be... in the control room when the klaxons went off."

Actually he had been running to the control room when the unauthorized off world activation was announced over the speaker. He had once been part of it all. They couldn't blame him for not being able to break with old habits, right?

"General Hammond does not wish to see you near the stargate or the control room unless I, or CaptainCarter, accompany you. He made it very clear you are not allowed to be there during an emergency situation either," Teal'c reminded Daniel.

"I know. But it wasn't an emergency. It was just Thor." Whining came with the downsizing, too. Though Jack had said Daniel always whined when he didn't get his way. Which was so not true.

"You had no way of knowing this until Thor arrived at the SGC," Teal'c said stoically.

"Yesss, I know." Daniel followed Teal'c into the awaiting elevator and slumped against the wall, gazing at his feet.

Sometimes when the gate was activated from another planet and no team was due to be back... sometimes Daniel still hoped... the childish part in him hoped anyway, that it might be... But of course he didn't believe in Santa Clause anymore and he had seen Jack going down, hit by Trofsky's staff blast.

He had been at the memorial service. There was no mystery here, no hope. Jack was gone.

Drawing a deep breath, Daniel dug his hands into his pants pockets and balled them into fists.

When the elevator started moving, Teal'c's large warm hand squeezed Daniel's shoulder. "Maybe CaptainCarter is indeed still here. She might be in need of a break."

Sam was bent over what appeared to be a black shimmering sphere, the size of a bowling ball. It was attached to several wires and measuring instruments, which were attached to several laptops and other equipment Daniel couldn't name.

Sam straightened and gave her nightly visitors an exhausted smile. "Hey, guys."

"Hi, Sam." Daniel stepped next to her and eyed the sphere curiously. "What's that?"

"Is it of any danger to DanielJackson?"

Shaking her head, Sam raked a hand through her blond hair. "No, I don't think so. Thor gave me a device to build a force field around it so even when it's on, it has no effect on us."

"What does it... do?" Daniel reached out a hand to touch the sphere, but Sam pulled his arm away.

"Better not touch this, Daniel," she warned worriedly. "The force field might give you a small electrical shock."

Sometimes Sam and Teal'c were as bad as Jack had been, Daniel thought as he stepped back. The sphere rotated on some kind of flat holder and now Daniel heard a low humming sound.

"Thor does not want word to anyone not involved in this mission, DanielJackson," Teal'c said quietly.

"He was very firm about it, actually. This is a top secret project," Sam mumbled as she tapped some keys on her laptop. The screen changed and showed several layers of energy levels. "He asked us to hide it until they were ready to develop it further. They fear it might fall in the hands of the replicator."

"So they hide it here? But we recently had a replicator attack on Earth," Daniel wondered.

"Yeah. But we managed to get rid of them when we blew up that Russian submarine," Sam said absently while she made more adjustments on her laptop.

Daniel tried not to think of how close Teal'c had come to being blown up along with the Russian submarine when he and Colonel Reynolds were trapped in the boat, trying to destroy the replicators.

It had been a very close call, but Thor had saved them.

Noone had clued Daniel in on the details, but he was still "adult" enough to imagine how it went in vivid colors.

"So... this thing..." He pointed at the sphere. "Does what exactly?"

Sam turned and looked at him as if she was seeing him for the first time. "You heard what Teal'c said. It's classified. VERY classified," she said apologetically. "I'm sorry."

"Saaam... who do you think I'm gonna tell about it?" Daniel settled on her swivel chair and started twirling with it, pushing himself off at the edge of her desk so he gained more speed. "Come ooon."

"Daniel... ." She came over and took his shoulders to stop him from spinning around. Crouching in front of him, she gave him what was supposed to be a sympathetic smile. "You know exactly why we can't include you in everything anymore. General Hammond was very strict about this."

Daniel started swinging his legs and one of Sam's hands came down from his shoulders to settle on his knee. "As long as you're in the body of a ten year old you're too vulnerable and if the NID get their hands on you... well let's just say the less you know, the better. You understand that, don't you?"

"I already know enough for them to torture me, drug me and take away my candy until I'll spill," Daniel said, tipping a hand to his head. "It's all in here and if they ever find out I'm more than a little kid, they'll try to snatch me anyway."

"Yes. I know." She reached out to ruffle his hair, but he jerked away and managed to hop from the chair to escape her hands.

"I still can't tell you, Daniel. Sorry. Direct order."

Daniel sighed and glanced at the sphere once more. The black surface looked as if there were fluctuating lights just beneath it. It was beautiful. If a piece of technology could be beautiful, that was.

"Okay," he mumbled and gave Sam a one shoulder shrug. "I guess."

"I'm really sorry," she said again, voice soft. And he didn't have to look at her to know she meant it.

Teal'c chose this moment to announce that it was time to return to their quarters and Daniel managed a smile and a friendly, "Night Sam." before he followed the Jaffa out.

**2**

Daniel had forgotten about the Asgard's device and probably wouldn't have remembered it if he hadn't overheard a conversation between Robert Rothman and one of his colleagues a few days later.

It was really a coincidence or an unfortunate series of events that Daniel was in Rothman's office at the wrong time.

Robert's was the closest office to Daniel's with a coffee maker. Daniel didn't sneak in there very often. He intended to live to see another day so he really wasn't interested in getting into trouble with Janet. But from time to time the urge became quite... strong.

So one morning while he was categorizing artifacts, Daniel realized that SG-1 was off world and Janet, who kept an eye on him when Teal'c and Sam were gone, would most likely be occupied at the infirmary until lunch.

He couldn't resist the temptation.

He left his office and tiptoed over to Robert's, hoping the coffee maker was already on and that he could snatch a mug full. To his delight there really was a freshly brewed pot of coffee simmering.

He felt his mouth water as the aroma hit his nose.

Oh, yes!

Daniel had brought his own mug with him and happily filled it. That was when he heard footsteps and voices in the corridor, coming closer. And one of the voices clearly belonged to Robert.

Oh-oh...

He didn't think Robert would tell on him. But there was someone with him and Daniel didn't know who. Hastily he placed the mug by the coffee maker and did the first best thing. He squeezed himself underneath Robert's desk and tried to make himself as small as possible.

His heart pounding in his chest he waited and hoped no one would notice his coffee mug on the counter.

As soon as Robert and his company arrived, Daniel realized he'd made a huge mistake. What if Rothman stayed in his office, working for hours? Daniel couldn't stay under his desk all the time. For now though he was stuck.

He saw Robert's legs as he crossed the room and heard some rustling and the scraping noises of a chair being pulled back.

"It's not an artifact! It's not an artifact!" the unknown voice snorted. "What does she think it is? It's probably a hundred years old..."

"No, it's not. It's a fairly new piece of technology. The Asgard developed it not so long ago," Robert said in his usual allergy-driven, nasal voice.

"How do you know that?"

"I was at the briefing when Thor brought it in."

"And why were you at the briefing if it isn't an artifact?"

Robert blew his nose and answered a little annoyed. "I was assigned to help Captain Carter analyze it and assist with translations. There are writings on it and Thor didn't have the time to stay long enough to explain everything. So I was there to be clued in and then help Captain Carter. And we managed to decipher most of it yesterday."

"Really? What did you find out?" Robert's company seemed to be excited now. Daniel stopped trying to figure out who he was. Probably a new guy. He did sound very young.

"Uh, it's classified," Rothman mumbled.

"I am cleared, you know..."

"Yes, sure, I know, uh... close the door please? Daniel might be somewhere around and Captain Carter ordered me not to tell him anything about it."

Daniel heard footsteps crossing the room and then the door was closed.

"I don't get why that kid is still working down here anyway. He is a high security risk. They should give him to foster parents who take care of him. The SGC is no place for a child," the other guy muttered.

Under the desk, Daniel slung his arms around his pulled up knees and bit his bottom lip hard.

"It's not that simple. He can't live like a normal kid with all that knowledge in his head," Robert said and Daniel thought he sounded sad.

"Still he can't live at the mountain forever. Too bad O'Neill bit the dust. I think he was just what the boy needed."

Daniel placed his forehead on his knees and squeezed his eyes tightly shut as a wave of pain washed over him like it was yesterday that they had lost Jack.

That he had lost Jack.

"Yes. The two of them had something special. Even I could see that. And I'm not good with people," Robert sighed.

"So what is that sphere?"

"It's a time travel device," Robert blurted out.

Daniel's head shot up so fast, he almost hit his skull on the underside of the desk.

"It's what Thor explained to us in the briefing," Robert went on. "And the writings pretty much confirmed that. We are to hide it and in return are allowed to study it."

"How does it work?"

"I have no idea, how exactly. There were many formulas and numbers besides the text I translated. Apparently it manipulates time and engulfs you into a beam that carries you back in time. It's a prototype of something called the... time dilation device. But apparently that device is far from finished yet and this sphere was something they accidentally developed while working on the time dilation thing."

"So, really not an artifact," Robert's friend muttered.

Robert blew his nose again before he answered. "No."

"Do you want us to have coffee before I go back to work?"

Daniel sent silent prayers to whoever was listening that Robert was too busy to have coffee right now.

"Maybe later. I... uh... need some papers done before lunch."

Yes! His prayers were heard! Daniel carefully wriggled around a bit.

The other guy said bye and left. Robert sat at his desk, his black boots almost kicking Daniel's side as he stretched out his legs. Daniel shifted backwards, but there wasn't much space to move as the wall was right there in his back.

Oh man, what should he do? He was trapped here as long as Robert stayed in his office. And when lunchtime came and he wasn't in his office Janet would call his mobile to locate him and tell him to meet her at the commissary...

Mobile phone!

Sticking out his tongue in concentration Daniel slowly retrieved his phone from his pants and made sure it was set to silence. Then he began to type.

A moment later, Robert's phone beeped and Daniel heard muttering and sighing as the scientist pushed back his chair and hastily left the office.

"Yes," Daniel whispered as he scrambled out from under the desk and scurried out of the room. His longing for coffee was gone by now so he decided to get his mug back later.

He rounded a corner just as Robert left Daniel's office and almost ran into him.

"Hey, Robert," Daniel said.

"Huh?" Robert blinked at him from behind his glasses. "Oh, hey Daniel. Did you just send me a text message?"

"Me? I did?"

"Yes, uh... it said to meet you in your office. About some research?"

Daniel slapped his forehead and laughed a bit nervously. "Oh! That was meant to go to Sam! I'm sorry, I must've hit the wrong button." Wondering if Rothman would call the bluff, he felt his hands getting sweaty. But Robert was too engrossed in his own world of work and probably would have forgotten about it in a minute.

"Oh. Okay. Isn't Captain Carter off world?"

"Err... yesss. It was for when she gets back," Daniel said lamely.

"Right. When she's back." Robert nodded and hastened past Daniel back to his own office.

"Phew," Daniel sighed, vowing to himself not to try and snatch coffee anytime soon.

It just wasn't worth all the hiding and lying and trying to be Special Ops.

That evening Teal'c, Sam and Daniel went to MacDonald's for dinner. While Daniel indulged himself with the junk food and eating with his fingers and secretly enjoying the little toy that came with the kids menu, he tried to think of a way to make Sam talk about this sphere.

But of course it wasn't about to happen. Neither Sam nor Teal'c – who was now Murray, wearing a funny hat – would talk about anything SGC in public. Daniel suppressed a sigh and wiped his ketchup sticky hands on the paper napkin Sam handed him. Then he reached for the toy and fiddled with it.

It was a ball which slid open when Daniel pressed a hidden button on its underside. Inside was a small snow globe. Ronald MacDonald stood in the middle and when Daniel shook it, it snowed so that the figure was hidden in all the glitter.

A time traveling device!

Daniel didn't even dare to think what this might mean... aside from all that lecturing about the grandfather paradox Sam would come up with. No, there was absolutely no way Hammond, Sam or Teal'c would allow Daniel to use the sphere to... repair the time line.

Because to him it felt like the time line was wrong without Jack being here.

And the sphere could maybe fix it.

If only... if only he wasn't a kid. If only he could get his hands on it and was allowed to study it. If only...

This time Daniel couldn't suppress the sigh as he gazed into the snow globe where Ronald MaDonald was to be seen again once the liquid cleared.

"Are you tired, DanielJackson?" Teal'c asked.

"Yes," he replied absently, shaking the snow globe again. It was funny to see how the inside of the globe turned all glittery and the figure vanished.

Like it was caught in a beam.

"Then we better leave," Sam said and began to pile all their trash on one of the trays. "It's late."

Teal'c asked Daniel if he wanted to take the snow globe home and Daniel nodded. He clicked on the hidden button again and pushed the globe closed so it looked like a yellow plastic ball now. It was a stupid little toy. But sometimes these days it only needed little things to fascinate him.

As they left the MacDonald's Daniel let the ball slide into his jacket's pocket, but once they were in Sam's car on their way back to the mountain, he pulled it out again and played with it some more.

When he caught Sam smiling at him in the rear mirror he blushed a little, but for some reason couldn't put the globe down.

"I had one of those when I was a kid," Sam said.

"What do they use for the snow?"

"Oh, I'm not sure. I know some are made with gold foil or plastic pieces. This one looks like it has non soluble soap flakes in it. The liquid might be water or oil with glycerin so it slows down the fall of the glitter..."

Sam explained some more of it, but Daniel zoned her out as he thoughtfully gazed at the globe.

It took Daniel a week and another mission of SG-1 before he was brave enough to sneak into Sam's lab.

Colonel Reynolds, the new commander of SG-1, stuck his head into the commissary during breakfast one morning to inform Sam and Teal'c they had a go for a S and R mission because another team had gone MIA.

Sam hugged Daniel and Teal'c clapped his shoulder and reminded him to report to Janet immediately so she knew they were gone. "I do not know how long this mission will last, DanielJackson. If DoctorFraiser suggests you go home with her, please oblige."

"Okay," Daniel replied. They all knew he'd rather stay on base so he could wait and be sure all was well the minute they were back. But Janet refused to let him stay on his own for longer than a day or two. "If you're not back by tomorrow I'll pack my bag."

"Very well," Teal'c gave him the hint of a smile and they left him to his syrup-drowned pancakes.

Not feeling very hungry anymore Daniel soon wandered the corridors of the SGC not sure where to go. The control room was off limits unless there was an adult with him. He pondered starting on his newest translation, but somehow his feet seemed to have a mind of their own because he found himself in front of Sam's lab a moment later.

Boy, was he going to be in trouble if he got caught.

But he had to know. He had to know if he could figure this device out. And if he did... maybe he could convince General Hammond to try it. He would volunteer to go. He wasn't important for the program anymore so it didn't really matter if he didn't come back, right? He was just Daniel, the kid now. They really didn't know what to do with him anyway. Not even after a year. So he could go and try to...

"To do what?" he mumbled.

How was he supposed to change the time line? What if he traveled too far back? To a time where he was still an adult? He was ten. No one would believe him.

Feeling his heart sink, Daniel turned and was already on his way back to the elevator, when he stopped once again.

But even if he didn't get the time right. Sam would be there. She would probably listen to him. After Janet had proved that he was really Daniel Jackson. They had seen and experienced the strangest things in the last four years. Why not a time traveling downsized Daniel?

"I have to get it right," he said to himself.

If he managed to calculate the time travel device to a date just before they went on that mission where Hathor kept them hostage in the faked SGC... Daniel would already have been a kid then. So at least his current age wasn't a problem if he calculated it to the right time.

"Okay," he whispered, whirled around and with new bravado walked back to Sam's door and entered her lab. "I'll just take a look at it for now."

He wouldn't really use it without the general's approval.

And if the general would allow him to go, Sam could adjust it for Daniel.

That would work.

Daniel carefully closed the door behind himself and squinted up at the security cam. Sam's lab wasn't exactly forbidden territory for him. At least no one had told him so. But he was pretty sure that if someone saw him taking a close look at one of Sam's study objects, there would be an SF knocking at the door soon.

At first Daniel couldn't find the sphere. Sam's working area was tidied up and the device nowhere in sight. Her laptops sat neatly on her desk and all the screens were dark.

But then he spotted it on a shelf. The surface was black now without any fluctuating lights underneath.

"It must be off," Daniel muttered to himself as he grabbed the stool from a corner and carried it over to the shelf.

He could do this. A guy must do what a guy had to do.

_That goes for kids, too_, Daniel thought, nodding his head. Jack would probably have disagreed and so would Teal'c and Sam.

Daniel hated to make them worry or mad.

Instead of climbing the stool he sat on it, hugging himself and chewing on his bottom lip. "Okay, so this whole time traveling is probably a very bad idea," he said. Only silence answered him. "Jack would ground me forever if he was still here." Daniel grimaced.

But that was just the point, wasn't it? Jack WASN'T here anymore. Jack had died on that planet. Trofsky had shot him. And if Daniel was able to bring Jack back... what was a little punishment for exploring the sphere and bringing Jack back?

Determined to fulfill his mission, Daniel stood and grabbed for the shelf with both hands as he proceeded to climb the stool.

Once he stood, he was able to reach the sphere easily. As he had hoped, the force field wasn't activated. He jiggled the ball around until he could hold it with one hand and press it to his body, using the other hand to hold onto the shelf as he climbed down the stool.

"Okay, that went well," Daniel said to himself and placed the sphere on Sam's desk.

It felt very smooth and cool as he slid his hands over the surface until he found what he was looking for. A very small dent. His forefinger fit perfectly into it and when Daniel pressed, the sphere sprang to life. Lights began to fluctuate underneath the black surface and he heard the low humming.

Now Daniel could also see the tiny writings Robert had talked about. They were only visible when the lights touched them.

Daniel's heart sank. It would take him forever to decipher all of it. He could videotape it... or try to get his hands on Robert's translation... no, he couldn't do that. That was way more than he was willing to risk.

Daniel's fingers brushed over the writings and suddenly his finger probed another dent.

As he pressed down on it, the sphere opened.

Daniel almost let it drop because the sudden movement startled him.

Like the snow globe sphere from MacDonalds it slid open halfway to reveal something inside.

Fascinated by the bright yellow light and particles of what looked like fairy dust, Daniel could do nothing but gaze into the sphere.

It was beautiful.

Like a fountain, light beams and glittering pieces of... of... something...

"Magical," Daniel whispered.

...shot out of the sphere and engulfed Sam's desk, the lab and the boy, who stood frozen in place

Daniel felt the floor dissolve under his feet and he was hovering in thin air. The golden light was all he could see and feel. It tickled his skin and seemed to make his hair rise.

Then the light abruptly disappeared and Daniel felt the concrete floor under his feet again.

He was still in Sam's lab.

Feeling dizzy and weak in his knees, he grabbed for the desk with both hands and tried to hold on to it. But the room started spinning around him and his last realization before a gentle darkness carried him away, was that the sphere wasn't on Sam's desk anymore.

It was gone.

**3**

Daniel opened his eyes and blinked.

His head hurt and he was hit by a wave of nausea so strong, he began to heave and dry retch. A kidney dish appeared from somewhere and a hand gently held his head as he threw up what little he'd had for breakfast.

When he was done he lay back into the pillow, exhausted.

Infirmary.

That's where he was.

"Hey there," a familiar voice said and when Daniel opened his eyes again, Janet looked back at him a tentative smile on her lips. "How are you feeling?"

"Head hurts," Daniel mumbled and to his embarrassment felt tears dampen his cheeks. "'m sorry."

"Shh, it's okay. You just rest for now."

Daniel looked down at his hands and absently plucked at the IV line that vanished into his right wrist. "What's... what's wrong with me?"

"You're running a fever. The IV line has medications for that and the headache. You'll be fine soon." Janet assured him. "You don't have to be afraid."

"I'm not." Daniel said, then licked his dry lips. "Can I have a glass of water, please?"

"Sure. In fact you should drink plenty." A glass was handed to him and Daniel gulped the cool water down.

"So," Janet said briskly as she took away the empty glass, giving him an encouraging smile, "Do you remember anything..."

"I touched the sphere in Sam's lab." Daniel cringed. "It opened and there was all that light. I didn't mean to... I just wanted to look at it." He clutched his blanket, wringing it with his hands. "Oh, they're gonna be so mad at me. General Hammond will kick me off the base." He lifted his head for the first time. "Janet? Is SG-1 back yet?"

When he caught the gobsmacked expression on her face, Daniel blanched and there seemed to be ice cubes in his tummy all of a sudden.

Was it possible...?

"Did it work?" he squeaked like the kid he was. "Did it? What year is it? What day? Can I talk to Jack? I need to talk to Jack, right now!"

He looked around the infirmary with wide eyes, taking in his surroundings for the first time since he had woken up. There were rows of beds on the other side of the room, mirroring the beds on Daniel's left and right. Everything looked just the way it used to.

_Of course it does_, he told himself. He hadn't traveled centuries back in time. A year or so ago the infirmary had looked the same as it did now.

There was the cabinet containing meds, bandages and other equipment on the left wall, the defibrillator right next to the door, the familiar gray walls...

"Janet?"

"So you know who I am... And what's your name?" she asked with raised eyebrows.

"Oh, sorry, sorry... I'm Daniel. Daniel Jackson. I'm not sure where the sphere sent me, so just in case I'm still an adult here, don't let that confuse you. I'll get downsized at one point and then I'll look like this. Jack says I'm cute, but he's just bein' silly... well he was, anyway... But that's not important right now... I need to talk to Jack. He can't go on the mission to...," Daniel bit his lip as he tried to remember the gate address, "P3X-277."

"Okay. Why not?" Janet still looked spooked.

"'cause they'll get ambushed and taken to another planet where Hathor will make them believe they're in the future and everyone else is dead. But it's not true. It's a trap. And Jack..."

Janet paled and stopped Daniel's rushed explanation by putting a hand on his arm. "I think you should talk to General Hammond," she said quietly. "I'll call him down here so you can tell him exactly what you just told me, okay?"

Daniel nodded nervously and watched her leave.

A nurse checked his IV line, then he was alone in the room as there weren't any other patients. Despite his anxiousness Daniel dozed off while he was waiting for the general. His head still hurt and he felt very hot and uncomfortable.

When he woke up this time, an SF stood guard in the doorway to his room.

Daniel was very thirsty again, so he called for the nurse and was relieved when she brought him more water. Only after he had gulped down half of the liquid did he ask if the general had already been here.

"Yes, he was but you were asleep. Do you feel better?" She was a heavyset blonde with an open friendly face and short curly hair. "I'm nurse Reyna by the way. If you need anything, just give me a call, okay?"

Daniel realized he had never seen this nurse before and for some reason it disturbed him. "Thanks. Are you... are you new here?"

"No. I've worked here for a couple of years. Hey, I'll let Doctor Fraiser know you're awake."

Daniel stared at her retreating back. It wasn't odd that he didn't know every nurse who worked here, right? Except he was pretty sure he knew most of the staff since he had spent lengthy periods of times in the infirmary. And Stargate command wasn't in the habit of changing their personnel very often.

Janet entered the room a few minutes later, followed by a very serious looking General Hammond and a woman with blond straight hair, tied at the back of her head.

"Sam!" Daniel blurted out, gaping at her.

She gave him a blank stare and pursed her lips. "Yes?"

"What's...what's... with your hair?"

Her eyebrows wandered upwards and vanished underneath her straight bangs. "Um, my hair?" she echoed.

"Yes!" Daniel realized he was pointing at her and hastily lowered his hand and clutched the blanket again.

"How are you feeling, son?" General Hammond asked with concern.

"I'm fine," Daniel mumbled, then added, "sir."

"Sounds like someone I know," Janet remarked dryly. "He's running a fever and was sick when he woke up. It's a minor effect of the radiation he was exposed to."

"Radiation?" Daniel interrupted.

"It wasn't a high dose and there shouldn't be any after effects, but he needs to stay under observation for at least a couple of days," Janet ended her report to Hammond.

"Do you have any idea what might have caused this, Doctor?" the general asked.

"No, sir. Not without knowing where he comes from. Or rather what brought him here," she replied.

"Excuse me? Radiation?" Daniel felt slightly disturbed.

Janet gave him a smile. "Nothing to worry about... Daniel."

The three adults exchanged a look and finally the general addressed him again. "You claim to be Daniel Jackson. Is that true?"

"Yes. Doctor Daniel Jackson," Daniel said, squirming under his bed covers. He felt interrogated and that wasn't a good feeling. Licking his dry lips he forced himself to stay calm and focused.

Again the adults passed glances around at each other.

"What kind of Doctor are you?" Janet inquired in a friendly manner.

"Um," Daniel raised a hand and counted off on his fingers. "You know... Linguistics, archeology, anthropology." He paused and waited until they were done exchanging weird looks again before he continued, "I was born July 8th 1965 and my social security number is... Uh, I actually forgot what it is and I don't carry my adult ID around anymore. See, you probably... I mean... I'm me. I'm really... me."

"Sir," Sam said, "can I have a word with you outside?"

"Yes, Major." And to Daniel, "We'll be right back."

Daniel's eyes followed them as they walked outside and stopped in the corridor talking quietly to one another.

Major?

A memory suddenly popped up and he felt sick all over again. "Oh, no. Oh, god, no. NO!" He threw back his blanket and started to climb out of bed. "General Hammond!"

Janet was at his side in a flash, gently pushing him back into the pillow. "You need to calm down, honey. You can't get up yet. The general will be right back," she soothed, a steady hand on his shoulder to keep him from getting up again.

"P3R-233," Daniel said. "It's like... what happened on P3R-233! That sphere must've sent me..." He felt his heart pounding in his chest as he realized he probably hadn't gone back in time.

General Hammond entered the infirmary without Sam. Daniel tried to look past the general, but couldn't see her anywhere.

"Can you tell us what happened? How you came here? You just mentioned P3R-233. Was that where you came from?"

"No," Daniel mumbled. "That was where the mirror was."

"The mirror?"

"The quantum mirror," Daniel said. "Didn't you find one? On P3R-233?"

General Hammond shook his head. "I'm sorry, son. But go on... anything you can tell us might help to clear this up."

"Can I see Jack?" Daniel asked, feeling very small all of a sudden. "There's... there's a Jack O'Neill here, yes?"

"As a matter of fact, yes, there is. But he's not here at the moment," Janet replied.

"Oh. Is he off world? Will he be back soon? I... ." Daniel trailed off. It was just like when he had stepped through the mirror. He was surrounded by familiar faces. But he didn't know any of those people. And they didn't know him. Which brought up another question. "Is there another me around?"

Because if there was, Daniel would be in trouble. He was sure that even though nobody knew about the quantum mirror there would still be entropic cascade failure.

Hammond smiled at him, but his blue eyes remained serious. "Why don't we hold off all those questions until a little later and you start from the beginning. How did you come here?"

But the questions were important... he needed to know all this... Daniel fiddled with his IV line and stubbornly stared at the bald man in front of him. As he did so, he suddenly realized that this General Hammond wasn't as bald as his own had been. There was still a small fringe of reddish hair and for a moment Daniel was engrossed in gazing at it, even forgetting how annoyed and a little scared he was.

"Daniel?" the man prompted.

"Uh... I want to see Jack. Or Teal'c," Daniel demanded, squirming under his bedcovers.

The general looked up sharply and his eyes narrowed. "Teal'c?! What do you know about Teal'c?"

_Uh-oh._ Daniel should have kept his mouth shut. Crossing his arms over his chest, he said, "I won't say anything else until Jack... Colonel O'Neill gets here."

"Major Carter is currently investigating her lab, where you were found," General Hammond said. "Doctor Fraiser will be able to identify you as Daniel Jackson – if that's who you are. Unless there's proof of your story, I'm afraid I can't give you further information nor let you talk to anybody else. I'm sorry."

Daniel huffed. "This is the highest-secured military facility on Earth. How do you think I'd get in here? I didn't come through the gate and definitely not through the front door."

"That's what I'm determined to find out," the general replied. He didn't indicate any threat, nor was his voice unkind. But Daniel realized that if they didn't find out how he'd gotten here or if they didn't trust him, they could lock him away forever and no one would ever know.

No one would miss him or search for him.

_No_, he thought. _This is the SGC after all. This is General Hammond and Janet. They won't do anything like that._

But if he was honest with himself, he was well aware that he was an intruder here. And for all this Hammond knew, Daniel could have been sent by the Goa'uld, brainwashed, carrying a bomb...

Daniel swallowed hard and, once more, fought against tears. If he didn't feel like he was burning up from the inside and if his head didn't hurt that much, he'd be able to control himself better. But right now he really didn't feel very good and he really wished he wasn't a kid.

Jack would believe him. Jack would recognize him if there was a Daniel Jackson in this reality. And eventually Jack would trust him. Jack liked kids, too. Daniel had learned to live with all the complications of being a kid again because Jack had helped him cope.

His Jack.

And surely their Jack couldn't be that different, right?

Janet clucked her tongue and shook her head. "I think this is enough for now. You need to sleep and later we have lots of work to do."

"Can't I please talk to Colonel O'Neill?" Daniel asked. His fingers started to hurt from clutching the bedclothes so hard.

"Colonel O'Neill isn't here right now," Janet repeated and Daniel could sense she was looking at Hammond for some sort of support or permission. After a long pause the general said, "I'll see what I can do. In the meantime, do as the doctor tells you and sleep."

With that the commander of the SGC turned and left, exchanging a few words with the SF on his way out.

Daniel didn't think he could rest or calm down. But all his worried thoughts and questions couldn't keep him from dozing off and finally falling into an exhausted deep sleep.

By the time he roused, they had moved him out of the regular infirmary and into isolation. He was still hooked to the IV, but his bed was the only one in the room now and when he looked up he could see the observation windows.

That probably meant he was a security risk.

The friendly nurse, Reyna, helped him to the bathroom and brought him a tray with food and a bottle of juice. She told him the juice was a special juice for sick children with electrolytes and vitamins in it so he'd get better soon. She took his temp and asked him a couple of questions about his headache and whether or not he felt sick.

Daniel told her he felt better, which was true. The headache was gone and he didn't feel so warm anymore. Or queasy.

Reluctantly he ate from the soup and nibbled at the cinnamon bun she gave him for dessert, knowing he wouldn't get anywhere if he refused to eat.

Later Reyna praised him for eating and carried the tray out. A moment later she returned with a box of crayons and a pile of paper. "Cassie always has crayons and paper in her mom's office. She's Doctor Fraiser's daughter," she shared with Daniel. "Sometimes she comes to visit after school."

"I know," he mumbled. He used to be "Uncle Daniel" to Cassie and when he'd been turned into just Daniel, they'd sometimes spent time together, watching movies or playing on Cassie's computer. It had been awkward at first, but they soon got used to their new level of friendship and Jack had said it was good for Daniel to have a "pal your current age".

Daniel thanked Reyna as she placed everything on the bedside table along with another bottle of the "special juice". She told him Doctor Fraiser would be with him soon, then she went back to work.

Ignoring the crayons, he gazed at the bleak wall across the room. There was no point in trying to get out of here. He knew the door was locked and there was an SF guarding it. Daniel grimaced at the security camera in the left corner at the ceiling, sure that somebody was watching him.

Swallowing, he tried to stay cool. But the feeling of being totally alone was overwhelming even though he reminded himself Janet would take him for tests and that everything would be all right once they found out he really was Daniel Jackson.

Sam would find something in her lab that supported Daniel's story. Janet had said he was radioactive, so there was maybe some of that radioactivity in Sam's lab... some energy reading from when the sphere had transferred him to here... anything...

But what if there was no trace of energy? What if for some reason Janet's tests didn't prove who he was? What if the radioactivity or the switch between universes had altered his DNA or something like that? What if they forgot him down here... What if there was no Daniel here and they had no clue who he was, even though he suspected they knew...

The door opened and Daniel jumped, startled, almost ripping his IV line out as his arms protectively closed around himself.

"Hello, Daniel," Janet greeted him cheerfully. "You slept for almost ten hours. You should feel better now. I heard the headache is gone?"

He just nodded and stayed still while she shone her penlight in his eyes, took his blood pressure and looked into his mouth. Janet scribbled on his chart, nodding and making "Mh hmm," noises. Then she put the chart at the foot of Daniel's bed and announced she needed to take several tests. She explained to him the meanings of MRI, the necessity of taking his blood and urine and Daniel let her talk, even though he knew about all this.

Since he was a kid again, he was a little scared of the MRI scanner because it was loud inside and even though he wore ear protectors he could hear the knocking sounds generated by the machine. Daniel had had a MRI scan after his downsizing and again six months later, to make sure his body was growing and functioning as it should. Jack had been with him both times. Of course he couldn't be in the scanner with Daniel. But they were able to talk over the headphones and Jack had made all kinds of bad jokes and it had made Daniel laugh and feel better.

"We'll do all the other tests first and keep the scan for last since you just had lunch. It's important that you didn't have anything to eat two hours prior to the MRI scan, so we can give you a little sedation," Janet told him.

"I... I don't need a sedation," Daniel said.

"Believe me, honey, it's better that way. You have to lie very still for a long time and it's loud in there."

"I know. I've had MRI scans before. It doesn't hurt. I... um... I try to avoid sedatives. They make me all... queasy. Since I'm... a kid, I get sick from sedation." He even got sick from Children's Tylenol, especially the chewable tablets. One time he had had a fever and Janet gave Jack flavored chewable pills for Daniel and he'd thrown up all night. It had taken them some time to get to the bottom of that. Suddenly realizing he should probably mention it to this Janet, Daniel said, "I'm allergic to some kids medications, too. I can't take Tylenol."

She gave him a long look, her kind brown eyes very sincere. "You know what you can take?"

"Ibuprofen works when I'm sick. But I don't know about sedatives," Daniel said, relieved she was taking him seriously.

"Okay. Let's get to work and I'll think about a solution for the MRI," she said.

She called the SF and he brought in a wheelchair for Daniel, who immediately protested that he could walk. But if there seemed to be one consistent thing in both their universes, then it was Janet being Janet. Allowing no backtalk, she helped him to settle in the chair and wheeled him out.


	2. Chapter 2 Stranded

**Twisted Fate **

**Stranded**

**1**

Jack shrugged into his leather jacket and ignored the offered hand.

"Next week, Colonel?" MacKenzie let his arm sink.

It was like some grotesque play they performed every week. Jack would rise from his chair the moment his thirty-minute appointment was officially over. MacKenzie would make an attempt at shaking hands when they said good-bye and Jack would ignore it.

"You know this is a waste of time," Jack informed the good doctor as he zipped up his jacket.

"And you know you won't be declared fit for gate travel again unless you cooperate and work through your problems," MacKenzie said, his voice neutral.

"With you," Jack replied dryly. "Right."

"No, Colonel. You are free to make an appointment with one of the four other colleagues who are cleared to work with SGC personnel. I gave you the list some time ago. You chose to stay with me." MacKenzie tilted his head and gave Jack a curious look.

"I didn't choose to come here at all," Jack said bluntly. "I'm here because Doctor Fraiser recommended it. And Hammond ordered me to."

"You could always take the permanent desk job and get out of the therapy. But that's not what you want. You want to go back into the field, Colonel."

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe I'll retire again," Jack snapped. The thought had crossed his mind occasionally lately. Like... on an almost daily basis.

"That is an option as well." MacKenzie nodded, unfazed by Jack's anger.

This was Jack's third appointment and he only had gone to see MacKenzie because Hammond had kicked his ass verbally.

Insubordination. Unstable mental condition... and that was only the top of the list Hammond had thrown at him during that oh-so-unpleasant meeting in the general's office. Jack's final options were to either get with the program, take a desk job, or turn in his resignation.

Gritting his teeth, Jack turned and walked out. "Next week," he called back over his shoulder.

He was almost out the front door when MacKenzie's receptionist informed him there had been a phone call for him while he was in MacKenzie's office. "General Hammond wants you to call him back immediately," she said.

_Great. What now?_

He left MacKenzie's holy halls and flipped his phone open once he was in his truck.

He got Walter on the line who informed him Hammond had ordered Colonel O'Neill to head for Cheyenne Mountain.

"Walter, I was just about to head home to meet Homer and Marge... What? ASAP he said?... No, Walter, I don't mind missing out on the newest Simpsons episode, a cold bottle of Heineken and a nice microwave dinner... I live to serve. I'll be there ASAP." He switched off his phone and threw it on the passenger seat.

In the three months since Jack had been restricted from gate travel, he had battled with his backlog of paperwork, worked out in the gym, or attended all kinds of meetings he had been able to avoid before due to his tight mission schedule. Now that he was available all the time, Hammond made sure Jack was able to enjoy the full meaning of being 2IC of the SGC.

Sometimes O'Neill felt like a grounded kid with loads of extra chores on top of his punishment list.

He _should_ retire again. At least then he could go to the cabin and wouldn't have to care about anything anymore. And if the Goa'uld decided to blow the planet, Jack would be oblivious to it until the very end. Which wasn't a bad thing.

However, as much as he hated to admit it, there were apparently a few bridges he didn't want to burn, yet. And once he was retired again, he wouldn't be able to come back.

It was already dusk when he steered the truck into the parking lot at the mountain. The shuttle bus was almost empty and no one but the SF on duty rode the elevators with him.

Entering the briefing room, Jack quirked an eyebrow at the three people sitting at the large black and red table. Ignoring Carter's nod and Fraiser's smile, Jack addressed his commanding officer. "You wanted to see me, sir?"

"Yes. Take a seat, Colonel."

He sat across from Fraiser, who was next to Carter.

"We have a bit of a situation on our hands," Hammond began when Jack chose to stay quiet and just gave them an expectant look.

The next few minutes Jack listened to a tale about a kid that had appeared from nowhere in Carter's lab and was currently being held in an isolation room at the infirmary.

"There were very faint readings of radioactivity, hardly traceable, when I investigated my lab earlier today," Carter said and what followed was a long winded explanation as to why she almost couldn't trace it and what might have been the cause of it... and just when Jack felt his eyes glazing over, she finished with, "The boy mentioned a device which brought him here. A sphere. If it's true what he said, it must be a technology we've never heard about before."

"So he came from... where? Another planet? That thing works like a transporter?" Jack asked, feigning boredom.

"Actually we don't know where he came from. But he has valid knowledge about the SGC," Hammond said.

"What's his story?" Jack asked and when three pair of eyes just stared at him, he frowned. "What?"

"Sir," Carter began hesitantly, "we're not exactly sure what his story is. He refuses to tell us anything..."

"...unless he's allowed to talk to you," Janet added and there was clip to her voice, letting Jack know she wasn't thrilled about the idea. "He is very determined about it."

"O-kay. Why me?" Jack didn't get it. He didn't even really like kids. Of course that kid most likely didn't know that.

Again, they just gazed at him, then Carter's and Fraiser's eyes settled on Hammond, who finally spoke. "Jack... That boy is Daniel Jackson."

_Whoa. _

"Daniel's dead," Jack said sharply. He should know. He had been there.

"And yet, every test I ran, every blood sample I took... there's no doubt. This boy is Daniel," Janet said quietly. "He's a kid. But he's also Daniel. And very alive. As far as I can tell, he's not a clone or a duplicate of any kind. His DNA matches 100 percent with Daniel's."

"Isn't that a little..." Jack made a skywards motion with his right hand, "out there, Doc?"

"It's certainly not a situation I've had to deal with before," she agreed. "There's no evidence of technology in his bloodstream or anywhere else in his body."

"No nano bits and pieces?"

"None. He was exposed to a very low level of radiation, but there shouldn't be any side effects once he's symptom free. He still has a low fever, but it's not as alarming as it was in the beginning. He had lunch and dinner and didn't show any more signs of nausea. However, he is exhausted. The various tests and the MRI scan wore him out. I gave him a low dosed herbal based sedation during the MRI, but I think he's drained. He lay perfectly still all the time," she said full of affection.

"Colonel, we need to know what he has to say about himself and where he comes from. He claims he was once an adult and got transformed into a child," Hammond said.

"What?" Jack gave his CO a you've-got-to-be-kidding-me-look.

"He seems very intelligent and he knows things." Fraiser looked slightly unsettled. "We have yet to find out if he's telling the truth about the transformation."

Jack grimaced. "Can't you just tell him there won't be dessert if he doesn't talk?"

Janet shot him a dirty look. "Normally I wouldn't recommend exposing him to any more stress today, especially not to your charming self... sir. But he seems very unhappy. And distressed."

Ignoring Fraiser's little attack on his charming self, Jack raised his eyebrows at her. "And yet you think talking to _me_ will make him feel better?"

"He seems very attached to you, sir," Carter chimed in. "I talked to him before dinner and the first thing he asked about was you. Where you were and why they wouldn't let him talk to you. Of course I couldn't give him any answers and he said he understood."

"See? That's just warped. That kid can't possibly know me," Jack said, irritated. "He must have confused me with someone else."

Hammond interrupted them. "He's in Isolation Room Eight. Doctor Fraiser and I will watch your progress," he said in a final tone and rose from his seat, as did everyone else.

"Don't upset him, Colonel," the doctor warned him. "Daniel is a very brave little guy who has been prodded and poked all day."

"He's not Daniel," Jack snapped. "No matter what his DNA results look like."

"Just try... try to be..." She cast a helpless glance at Carter, who jumped in with, "Uh... nice?"

"Yes. Try to be nice, sir." Fraiser sighed.

"Hey! I can do nice!" Jack called after her retreating back.

Fraiser clued him in about the other facts on their way to the infirmary so Jack expected a ten-year-old in a hospital gown when he gave the SF a nod and pushed open the door to Isolation Room Eight.

What he didn't expect was the loud enthusiastic, "Jack! Finally!" from the bed, the moment he was spotted by the blond boy. Jack looked into intense blue eyes, big as saucers in a pale face.

"You came!" The relief and almost unbearable happiness on the young face made Jack stop in his tracks.

The kid was hooked to an IV and looked incredibly small in the big hospital bed. More like eight or so than ten. Not that Jack had a good grasp on how kids should look at ten. He just looked... fragile.

Which, for some reason, irritated the heck out of Jack. He wasn't buying it for a minute. A kid that appeared from thin air? It was a scam. A trap, made by those slimy snake heads. It would just be like Apophis to send them a Daniel-clone-child to mess with their minds. Fraiser's tests meant squat if the Goa'uld had the right technology to create a kid like this and make it appear at the SGC like a genie from a bottle.

And didn't it all fit so nicely? This kid had demanded to talk to Jack. Of course he had. Whoever was behind this probably knew how close he had been to Daniel. So someone was trying to mess with Jack's head and blindside him – heck, all of them – with their feelings for Daniel.

Not gonna happen.

Jamming his hands into the pockets of his BDUs, Jack looked back at the boy, whose big smile was slowly replaced by a new expression, more subdued.

"Hey," Jack said, not sure what else to say.

"Hey," the kid replied and tilted his head. "Sorry. I... I'm Daniel."

"So they told me." He took a step forward and looked around for a chair, but couldn't see one. So he opted for standing at the foot of the bed.

The boy frowned. "You don't believe me." It wasn't a question.

"How are you?" Jack asked, avoiding the issue. "Fraiser says you've been sick."

"I'm fine," was the answer, accompanied by an all too familiar scowl.

_Right,_ Jack thought. _Now you're starting to believe it, too. _"Good," he said aloud. "Then we can skip the small talk and you can tell me what's going on."

"I'm from an alternate universe. At least I think I am, 'cause this has happened to me before. Look, I accidentally activated a device in Sam's lab and somehow switched universes. For some reason the device didn't come over with me so now I can't go back. But there's a quantum mirror on P3R-233 which can help me return home. Apparently you haven't found it yet, but it should be there. So all you have to do is convince your General Hammond to let SG-1 go there and bring it back to the SGC."

"Sooo, you can get... home," Jack drawled.

"Yes!"

"And that quantum mirror you came through..."

"No, I didn't come through the mirror. I used an Asgard device. It looked like that snow globe I got from MacDonald's. I mean, on the inside. It was a sphere and it opened just like that snow globe and there was lots of light and I got caught in a beam and was sent here. The quantum mirror is just a mirror that does the same thing as the sphere. And it could probably send me back."

Jack blinked. "You should talk to Carter. She has lots of experience with snow globes, I bet."

"Haha, very funny... "

"Hey, watch it," Jack growled.

The kid blinked at him.

Jack cleared his throat and said, "You're Daniel Jackson. And you've come from an alternate time line..."

"Universe."

"Whatever... where you're a kid..."

"I wasn't always a kid. I got downsized because I touched something..."

"Of course you did. And if you interrupt me one more time, I'm outta here, you got that?"

The brat hugged himself, giving Jack a gloomy glare.

"That doohickey brought you here and now you need another doohickey to get back. Is that it?"

"Yes."

"You do know that sounds a tad... crazy, right?" Jack cocked his head and tried to figure out if this kid was yanking his chain, or if he believed his own story.

"I know how it sounds. You didn't believe me the first time it happened either," the boy said with a sigh.

"It happened to you before?"

"Yes, with the mirror..."

"All right, hold it! There's a mirror and there's a... snow globe..."

"Jaaack."

"That's Colonel O'Neill to you," he snapped, unable to hold back the irritation at the familiar attitude and the way this boy glared at him. And the realization the kid seemed to be way smarter than Jack was.

Now, however, he flinched as if Jack had hit him and tightened the self-hug, if that was even possible. "Sorry." He hung his head. "I keep forgetting you're not my..."

"No, I'm not. Don't forget it again," Jack said bluntly. "I suggest you talk to Carter about the snow globe versus the mirror. If anybody can help you out here, it's her."

He turned sharply and walked out, only pausing when a distressed small voice called out to him. "Colonel!"

"What?"

"What happened to your Daniel?"

"He died." Refusing to turn around and be confronted with those blue eyes again, Jack left and slammed the door shut behind himself.

He met Fraiser and Hammond upstairs in the observation room. The doc and the general gazed down at the forlorn figure curled up like a ball on the bed.

"Is this your way of not upsetting him?" Fraiser asked with barely suppressed anger.

"You wanted me to make him talk, he talked." Jack shrugged. "He's probably some Goa'uld-engineered spy."

"We didn't find any sign of technology to prove that," Hammond said sharply. "He wasn't carrying a communication device either. Even if he was sent by the Goa'uld, they'll have no way to contact him."

They made their way back to the briefing room while Fraiser went to check on the kid.

"Yeah, but what if he's gathered enough information. He came in here undetected. He might be able to leave just as easily," Jack said.

"Point taken," Hammond replied, weariness lacing his voice. They found Carter waiting for them when they entered the briefing room.

When they had settled down again, Jack let her know what the kid told him, ending his report with, "I think you should talk to him. If anybody can make sense out of this, it's you."

"An alternate reality?" Jack could see how her mind raced off to play with this idea and do some mathematical acrobatics on quantum leaps and such.

"That's what he said. If you ask me, that's a poor backstory. Whoever sent him should've come up with something less sci-fi." Jack picked up a pen from the table and started fiddling with it.

"Excuse me, sir. But we deal with sci-fi material all the time here," Carter frowned. "Well, at least... sometimes."

"The question is, Major, is it even possible?" Hammond intervened.

"Well, basically, scientists have theorized that there are an infinite number of dimensions, each containing a different possible version of reality," she answered hesitantly.

"So how does that work? There are infinite numbers of ourselves romping through the universe?" Jack had a hard time wrapping his head around that.

"Not through THE universe. The theory is that we all live in a multiverse where a near-infinite number of universes, or realities exist. Each one created to reflect a different outcome to a decision. Like a fork in the road... where going in one direction defines the individual's current reality, whereas the roads not taken represent the alternate realities. These realities are progressing through time at the same rate as ours, but different paths are being taken."

"Parallel universes," Hammond said.

"Yes. Some of these alternate realities might have been created through the impact of a time traveling event but could also be results of a decision, so that all possible outcomes have their own realities. For example, Colonel O'Neill destroyed Ra on Abydos. Maybe in another reality he didn't. So here we are – so far - free of the Goa'uld. Maybe in that other reality Ra came here and destroyed everything."

"In our reality Doctor Jackson died a year ago. In another reality he didn't. Plus our Doctor Jackson was a grown man while this other Doctor Jackson is a child," Hammond nodded slowly.

"He claims that he was...," Jack made little quote signs in the air with his fingers, ",downsized at one point."

"Which is something else that didn't happen here," Carter said.

"All right... fine... let's just for a moment assume all of this is true. The whole... alternate universe stuff... It doesn't answer the question how the kid actually got here," Jack muttered.

"He crossed a bridge," Carter said.

"He shook a snow globe," Jack snorted.

"How?" Hammond bent forward and placed his arms on the table. Ignoring Jack, he intently looked at Carter, who shrugged.

"Uh... it's still a theory but in order to travel to an alternate reality, one must form a link, called a 'trans-universal bridge' or the more commonly used 'inter-universal bridge', between the two realities. The technology to build those energy bridges has yet to be discovered. At least here on Earth."

"He claimed he used Asgard technology," Jack said. "So we'll ask the Asgard if they have a toy like that..."

"That the Asgard of his reality have developed technology that makes traveling between alternate realities possible doesn't mean our Asgard possess the same knowledge," Carter said, then hastily added, "sir."

"What about that mirror he's rambling on about then?"

Hammond looked thoughtful for a moment, then nodded at Carter, "Talk to the boy tomorrow, and see what intel he can give about that mirror. If you think it's valid, or may prove part of his story, I'll have SG-1 go on a recon mission to P3R-233. Until we know more, I want a guard at the boy's room 24/7."

"Yes, sir." Carter hurried out, which left Hammond and Jack alone.

The general leaned back and gazed at Jack. "You don't believe him."

"No, I don't."

"Why not?"

"Alternate universes...? A kid-Daniel?" Jack grimaced. "Smells like a rat to me."

"We have seen the strangest things happen in the last couple of years," Hammond reminded him.

Jack tossed the pen he had been playing with on the table. "If there's nothing else you need me for, sir, I'd like to call it a night."

"Jack..."

"Sir?"

For a moment the expression in Hammond's blue eyes was almost paternal and Jack couldn't help but feel uncomfortable under the look his CO gave him. But then Hammond just sighed and gave him a dismissive nod. "Have a good night."

Giving a sloppy salute in return Jack left wondering if there was something good on TV tonight since he forgot to program the DVR for the Simpsons.

**2**

Daniel wiped an arm across his face, dampening the handed-down pajama's sleeve with his tears. Janet had brought them late last night, apologizing a little sheepishly for their pastel green color. "They're Cassie's. But I figured it's better than the infirmary gowns. Of course you don't have to wear it if you think it's too girly. I'll find someone who has a son so we can get you decent things to wear. I took your old clothes home to wash them." After a short pause she added. "You had a little... accident. I'm not sure if you remember, but shortly after we found you, you got sick and everything was quite messy."

Well, at least the pajamas didn't have any teddy bears or worse, embroidery. They were plain green. He had thanked her and put them on. It could have been worse.

They could have been pink.

Another tear trickled down his face and he wiped it away.

They'd found the mirror.

Sam... she said he didn't have to call her Major Carter... had talked to him this morning and he'd answered all her questions about the quantum mirror. She'd been very nice and even brought him a bag of walnut cookies, which were still sitting on his bedside table, untouched.

She had smiled a lot and asked if he wanted anything; like books, toys, more crayons... he hadn't even used the ones Reyna had given him the other day. So no, he definitely didn't need more crayons, thank you very much.

Of course she hadn't answered any of his questions. He wanted to know if they'd try to find the mirror, if Jack was the leader of SG-1, if there even WAS an SG-1 and what had happened to Teal'c. She just smiled and tried to explain the term classified to him.

To quote Jack: D'oh.

At last, when she'd left she'd promised him they'd do everything possible to prove his story true and help him to get home.

Home.

Daniel had never missed home like this before.

It didn't help that everything around here resembled home and was yet so different.

_Don't be stupid_, he mentally muttered to himself. _Aside from some hair styles you don't even know how much difference there is. _

But he had already seen the biggest difference and he wasn't eager to repeat the experience. If Jack O'Neill never showed up here again, Daniel couldn't care less. He'd rather live without Jack than with this one.

At home there were Teal'c and Sam. And Robert, who probably still hadn't discovered Daniel's coffee mug in his office. It would have things growing out of it by now. The thought made him smile in the midst of his tears.

Sighing, Daniel blinked and rubbed his eyes again. They itched from the babyish crying.

If he ever got home, he'd be in trouble for using the sphere, that was for sure. And traveling back in time to warn Jack so he wouldn't die probably hadn't been such a bright idea after all. It didn't even work. Instead of going back in time, he was now stuck here where nobody knew him and where the counterpart of his best friend...

Daniel bit his lip.

Well, all of that was water under the bridge now, because Daniel wouldn't be going home anytime soon.

They'd found the mirror.

And it was broken. Kaput. Burned.

He was stuck.

Stuck in the isolation room of an SGC that wasn't his, with people who weren't his friends, wearing girl's pastel green pajama.

_If you don't know what to do, go with the flow until you can think of something,_ was one of Jack's many pearls of wisdom since Daniel had been downsized. Another one was, _If life gives you lemons make lemonade. A_nd then there was the all time famous, _What do we have, what do we need? _

Okay.

Daniel had an IV hooked to his wrist, crayons, paper, a dull room and regular meals. Oh, and he'd had his blood drawn twice and some more prodding since he'd woken this morning.

Daniel needed to go home.

"What do I do with that, Jack?" he asked the empty room, not caring if they were watching or hearing him. "It's not the best of situations, you know?"

_Stay alive,_ the Jack in his mind said. And his voice was almost as real as if he was really there.

And it hurt all the more.

Daniel missed him so much. The ten year old part of him did. And the grown up part of him, too. Even after a year there were still times when he couldn't believe Jack was really truly gone. Sometimes he still expected his older friend to round the corner or come through the door, that smirk on his face he always wore when they were teasing each other.

Now, not only was Jack gone, but everyone else he knew as well.

There had been no recognition in this Sam's face, just a kind of sadness.

When the door to his room opened, Daniel hastily grabbed for the Kleenex box on his bedside table and blew his nose.

"Hey, sweetie," Janet said softly, her southern accent thicker than usual. He realized she must have been watching from the observation window and knew he'd spent the last few minutes crying. Her eyes were kind and worried, but she didn't ask any questions, for which he was very grateful.

She carried a cardboard box which she now placed on the end of his bed. "I got you some things."

"What things?" Daniel asked. He wasn't really interested, but his natural streak of curiosity had him reaching for the box anyway.

She pushed it over to him and opened it. "Some clothes from Walter's boys, some books, some puzzles."

Puzzles. Cool. Not.

"I don't play much," he admitted hesitantly, then hurried to add. "But thanks. These are... nice. I... uh... I meant to say, I do play. But not... you know with..." Helplessly he waved at the 250 pieces puzzle and the children books. Some detective stories he had never heard of. "But thanks. I'll... try them."

How could he explain to her that he had all the memories of his adult life in his head? That he had worked on the 1000 pieces puzzle ball featuring a historic world map. Or that he used to read adult books and play chess or computer games?

And the other question was... should he even tell her at all?

Wouldn't it be safer for him to make them believe he was more kid than adult? They'd probably already guessed he had most of his memories. But if he could trick them into thinking he had lost some of it... maybe they wouldn't see him as a threat so much anymore.

But maybe they'd send him into foster care if they thought he was mostly just a kid.

Daniel had lost track of time a little, but he was sure he'd spent at least two days in this isolation room. What would happen to him once he wasn't sick anymore? If they thought he was a security risk or compromised in any way... would they keep him as a prisoner on base? Daniel had a feeling they wouldn't just let him work here as he had done at home.

Maybe he'd have to choose the lesser of two evils soon.

Janet retrieved more items from the box. A gray sweatshirt, two pair of blue jeans and a couple of t-shirts bearing cartoon characters.

With mild interest Daniel realized they had Spiderman here, too. And Sponge Bob. Jack had liked Sponge Bob almost as much as The Simpsons for some reason. He used to joke he could relate to Patrick Star.

"I sent someone to buy a few sets of underwear and socks for you," Janet's voice interrupted his musings.

The sealed packages of briefs and blue cotton socks were the last items she pulled out. Giving Daniel an encouraging smile, she said, "Until you have your own clothes back you can wear these. Now I have some good news. Tomorrow we'll pull that IV and find a VIP suite for you."

"Thanks," Daniel mumbled, not sure what to make of this. Unable to ignore his unease he asked. "What are they going to do with me, Janet?"

She fiddled with the clothes a bit and then resolutely put them back into the box before she arranged the books and the puzzle on the table some SF had brought in today. There was also a chair now. "I'm not sure yet. But your fever is gone and the blood results are good enough to release you from the infirmary." She stopped rearranging the items on the table once again and looked at him. "Is there anything you need? Candy, video games, DVDs? I can get you a Playstation."

"I need to know," Daniel whispered. "I need to know what'll happen to me." Remembering he wanted to appear more kid like, he admitted. "I'm a little... scared. I only came here by accident. And I want to go back."

Janet was with him in a rush, sitting on the edge of the bed. She took both his hands in hers and gently squeezed them. "Oh, honey, nobody's going to harm you. Trust me on this, they just need to find out what really happened."

"They know I didn't lie. They found the mirror," Daniel said.

"I know. I know and I'm sorry it's broken."

"I can't go home." There. He said it out loud, his own voice thundering in his ears. "And Jack... Colonel O'Neill... he's..."

"Don't let Colonel O'Neill intimidate you, sweetie. He barks and growls, but he doesn't bite."

"They said that about mine, too," Daniel said. "The only difference is; I don't believe it about yours." He had searched for something, anything, friendly in this Jack's eyes. But all Daniel had seen was distrust, annoyance and coldness. If anything this Jack O'Neill reminded Daniel of the man he had met on their very first Abydos mission.

Janet let go of Daniel's hands and brushed the bangs out of his face. "I'm not supposed to tell you any of this, but since the colonel has already mentioned it to you... our Daniel died a year ago. The colonel... all of SG-1 haven't been the same since then."

Daniel hung his head. "I'm sorry."

"You have to understand that it's hard for them... for all of us, to be honest, to have you here. You're Daniel. There's no doubt about it – and yet you're not."

He suddenly realized the whole situation was equally as awkward for them as it was for him. "Was your Daniel still big?"

"Yes. How did you end up...?"

"We were on this planet and the friendly natives gave me something to drink. The side effect was... this." He looked down at his small hands. "Jack said the good thing about this was that he could keep a better eye on me."

"I never heard of an adult who was transformed into a child before. This must be hard for you. Do you remember everything from before?"

Realizing he might just have given Janet the idea of doing more tests with him, Daniel sighed.

And made a decision.

"I remember who I was. But I forgot things, too. A lot of the memories of my former life are fussy and full of holes. I wasn't working anymore and they didn't allow me to access classified information." The latter at least wasn't a lie.

"Were you home schooled?"

"Um, yes." What else was he supposed to say?

"Okay." She smiled and patted his face again. "And you lived with Colonel O'Neill."

Daniel gave a nod. "He was my next of kin."

"Yes, he is." Janet said thoughtfully.

The VIP suite was much better than the isolation room. Daniel had a DVD player and Siler set up a Playstation for him even though Daniel hadn't asked for one. He was left with games to play and DVDs to watch. A tray with sandwiches and a glass of milk brought by Reyna: the box of clothes, the puzzle and books were on the table in the corner.

Daniel used the bathroom, showered and brushed his teeth. Then he reluctantly dressed in a pair of jeans and the blue Sponge Bob T-shirt. It had an oversized pink Patrick Star on it who was grinning like a maniac, showing sharp little teeth. Daniel wondered if that wasn't a little over the top for a ten year old. At home he used to wear "mini-BDUs" as Jack had called them. He'd acquired several blue and green ones and a stack of black t-shirts. For when he wasn't at the mountain Jack had let him chose his clothes. Plain shirts, simple jeans and sweat-shirts. Daniel didn't like anything fancy.

These clothes belonged to a younger kid, Daniel assumed. The shirt was a little tight. But he was skinny and not very tall, so it still fit. The jeans were too short, but would do for a while. He was grateful for the new underwear and socks. His shoes, black Chucks, were the only thing left from his own universe. Until his own clothes were cleaned and given back to him.

When he was dressed Daniel sat in one of the chairs and stared at the sandwiches and the milk. Oh, and there it was – the bag of walnut cookies from Sam. Their Sam.

He wasn't hungry or thirsty.

And he refused to be intimidated by being all alone and not knowing what was going to happen. He was a grown up. He could deal with this.

Daniel started swinging his legs, leaned back and gazed at the ceiling.

He should have asked for books. For real books, not detective stories... Suddenly he wondered if there was a guard in front of his door.

Daniel jumped up, ran to the door and opened it just wide enough to peek into the corridor. He spotted the young SF who had stood guard for him before.

However, the guard wasn't really paying attention to the door as he was engrossed in a conversation with another SF. He had even walked down the corridor a few steps and had his back to Daniel while he was discussing something with the other guy.

Opening the door a little wider, Daniel squeezed himself through the small slit and before he really knew what he was doing, he carefully closed it and vanished around a corner. There he pressed himself flat against the wall and craned his neck to look back.

The two men were still chatting.

_That guy isn't trained very well,_ Daniel thought and clamped a hand over his mouth because he felt the urge to giggle hysterically as he turned and hurried down the corridor. He passed several storage rooms and more VIP quarters and when he turned into another hallway, he found the locker rooms.

Everything was just like at his SGC. He knew the personal base quarters for all senior SGC staff, SG teams, team commanders and the Base Commander were on this level just around the next corner.

Daniel longed to see the archeology & linguistics library, which was on level 18 in his own SGC. His office had been there, too. He wondered who was head of the department here? And there were so many more questions on his mind...

Then he stood in front of the elevator door and realized he was trapped.

He didn't have an ID card.

Why hadn't he thought about that? Of course he didn't have a stupid ID card. He didn't live or work here! And he couldn't change floors or open most of the doors without a card.

Resisting the urge to kick the elevator doors, Daniel realized he had to return to his quarters and wait until someone was finally willing to take him on a tour. Sighing, he was heading back when he heard voices coming from the other end of the corridor. And they were getting closer.

Oh no, he shouldn't be caught hanging around outside his quarters. That would really be a bad thing to happen.

Frantically looking around, he spotted the door to a locker room. Hoping this wasn't where those guys were heading he pushed it open, made a beeline around the row of lockers, and hid in a corner.

Of course the locker room door opened just a moment later and two men came in.

Daniel groaned silently, cowering deeper into the corner. If they didn't go for the showers they probably wouldn't see him. The bad thing was that he couldn't see them either from his current position so he had no idea what they were doing. He heard the metallic bang as a locker door was opened and a familiar voice said, "What do you think they're going to do with the kid?"

Daniel frowned. He hadn't heard that voice in a couple of years... That was...

"No clue. Rumor has it he knows all kinds of classified stuff. So they won't let him leave just like that," another voice replied. This voice Daniel knew right away. It belonged to Colonel Makepeace. "He can't stay here though. Hammond's looking for solutions."

"Hey, he's a kid... Even if he's alien," voice number one replied.

Kawalsky.

Daniel was sure of it. This was Charles Kawalsky.

Then Kawalsky's words hit him.

_Alien? What?_

"You know the Goa'uld don't care about kids. I wouldn't put it beyond them to send the boy so he can spy on us," Makepeace replied.

"Yeah. Who knows. That's what Jack says, too. I hope you're both wrong though."

"I think O'Neill is right. I hate to admit it, but he's usually right about these things," Makepeace said sourly.

"Jack is one of the best. He has a nose for trouble, so he might be right. Still, I feel sorry for the kid," Kawalsky stated.

"_Was _one of the best, you mean," Makepeace replied, malice lacing his voice.

"Hey, just because you took over his team doesn't mean you can fill his shoes," Kawalsky said coldly. "He made a mistake out there and is paying for it. But I'd still chose his command over yours any day."

"You're walking a fine line there, Major."

"Yes, sir."

There was a pause and Daniel imagined them glaring at each other. Finally Makepeace snapped, "Colonel O'Neill isn't confined from gate travel for nothing. I'd say he lost some of his hero status around here."

"Get off Jack's case," Kawalsky warned. "You got SG-1, what more do you want? It's hard enough for him already, with Daniel gone and now Teal'c MIA." After another pause he added, "Sir."

Daniel sucked in air. That's why Hammond had been so alarmed when he'd asked about Teal'c! Maybe the general wondered if Daniel knew where Teal'c was.

Holding his breath, he listened to Makepeace's retort. "He and the Jaffa disobeyed orders, took off to some planet, got two marines killed..."

"Who followed him out of free will," Kawalsky interrupted.

"Not that I miss the Jaffa or anything. He probably deserted and O'Neill knows about it. I'm surprised O'Neill is still 2IC of the base," Makepeace said in a nasty voice.

The sound of a locker being slammed shut made Daniel jump.

He felt his head spin. What had this Jack done that they'd taken SG-1 from him? And how had he lost Teal'c? He'd never believe for a second Teal'c would have deserted. That was just ridiculous.

Daniel heard them leave and let out a huff of breath as he tried to get his racing heartbeat under control.

And what about him?

Wiping his suddenly sweaty hands on his jeans, he tried not to panic.

Their Jack thought Daniel had been sent by the Goa'uld... that he was brainwashed or something. That he was a spy or a threat.

No wonder he had been so mad.

Daniel walked into the locker room's lavatory and gazed into the mirror over one of the sinks. What looked back at him was a pale young face with unruly blond hair and blue eyes. He didn't wear glasses anymore because with the downsizing his eyes had improved.

"I need some answers," he told his mirror image.

But nobody would give him information about what his future options were, aside from being held prisoner or...

"Foster care?" he asked the mirror Daniel.

Would they try to move him into the hands of social service?

Daniel had nowhere to go. O'Neill wouldn't want him, Teal'c was missing somewhere, Janet already had Cassie and Sam... Daniel didn't think this Sam would want him either. She was nice, but not exactly ecstatic to see him.

Maybe they'd try to find him a home with people who were cleared and worked for the program, so they could keep an eye on him. He hated that thought. But he didn't want to spend the rest of his life confined to the SGC either. And Makepeace had said Daniel couldn't stay.

Swallowing hard, he realized he'd thrown away his life as he had known it. Just because he'd had to touch that sphere. He could hear Jack's voice in his head, a little melancholic. _I knew it. One day you'd touch something and I won't be there to save your sorry ass._

Ironically Jack was here. Just not the right one.

And Makepeace was leader of SG-1.

Everything was just so wrong.

Deep in thought Daniel crossed the lavatory and the locker room, opened the door to the hallway - and bumped into someone.

"Ow, sorry," he mumbled and then yelped as he was grabbed by his arm and pulled back inside.

"You want to tell me what you're doing here?" Still holding his arm, Jack... Colonel O'Neill... gave Daniel a rough shake.

"I was just..."

"What? Trying to find the bathroom?"

"No!" Daniel yanked at his arm. "You're hurting me!"

"And you're not where you're supposed to be," O'Neill snapped.

Daniel glared up into the angry brown eyes. He immediately knew he wouldn't be able to manipulate or calm this Jack into letting him go.

O'Neill pushed him onto the bench in the middle of the room. "Sit. Talk."

"I'm not a dog, you know," he blurted out.

"That's too bad," the colonel snarked. "I like dogs."

Rubbing at his arm, Daniel said, "But you don't like me, right?"

O'Neill's eyebrows shot up and his mouth quirked in that sarcastic way Daniel had never liked on his own Jack either. "What gave it away?"

"Why?"

"What?"

"Why don't you like me? You don't even know me. Look, I'm sorry your Daniel is dead. You... you must really miss him, but..."

"Can it! I don't wanna hear it," the colonel cut him off. "Answer my question. Why aren't you in your quarters?"

Daniel shrugged. "I was bored."

"Why? Didn't they give you anything to play with?"

Daniel shrugged again, not sure how to answer. His own Jack would have calmed down by now and Daniel would know how to talk him into letting him off the hook rather easily. This O'Neill, however, didn't look like he wanted to be talked into anything. His face was nearly unreadable and his eyes showed only annoyance.

"I... I wanted to find the archaeological library," Daniel confessed after a moment of gloomy silence.

"Well, you got lost." This time Daniel was grabbed by the scruff of his t-shirt. "And I don't think you're allowed to leave your cozy little VIP room."

"But you can't lock me in there forever," Daniel said as he was marched out into the hallway.

"No. We could put you into a holding cell instead. How's that?"

"Let go of my shirt! I can walk alone!"

"Oh, but I don't want you to get lost again," O'Neill said.

When they reached the VIP quarters, the SF standing guard at the door gawked at them. Apparently nobody had noticed Daniel's escape so far.

"I think you lost something, airman." O'Neill pushed Daniel towards the flummoxed guard. "I suggest you keep a better eye on him. This is a military base, not a playground last time I checked."

"Y-Yes, sir." The man snapped to attention and opened the door.

Daniel walked inside and slumped on the bed. To his surprise Colonel O'Neill followed and closed the door behind him.

Daniel watched him wander around and pick up some of the items on the table. O'Neill took a look at the Playstation and the books. Finally he turned to face him. "I don't want you to wander around base again."

"But…" Daniel bit his lip, reminding himself this Jack wasn't his. So he'd probably better keep his mouth shut. But it seemed to run faster than he was able to control it. "I just wanted to..."

"You might be able to wrap everyone else around your little finger, but that's not gonna work with me. You stay in here unless you're told otherwise."

Daniel flopped down backwards on his bed. "Fine."

"If you need books, ask Walter," O'Neill said after a pause and left.

**3**

When Janet came for him around dinnertime, Daniel was drawing a Stargate with his crayons. He'd even managed to work in details like the chevrons and the lights. It was an activity born out of pure boredom and the refusal to read detective stories.

And to keep his mind from all the questions spinning in his head.

"That's pretty good," she said, pointing at his drawing.

To his embarrassment Daniel blushed at the praise. He shoved the picture over to her. "You can have it, if you like."

"Why, thank you Daniel. I'll put it on my office wall next to Cassie's pictures." She really seemed to like the idea. "So how was your day?"

Blushing again, Daniel looked down at the crayons on the table. "Oh, you know, I escaped and Colonel O'Neill caught me. You surely heard about that?"

She grimaced. "Yes, I have. He expressed his... disapproval to General Hammond and me quite... loudly." Daniel cringed and Janet continued, "I was going to talk to you about that."

"You don't have to. I know I'm not supposed to leave the VIP room. I'm sorry."

"And I'm sorry you're bored. But you have to understand this is a highly secured base and we can't let you wander around. However, General Hammond has granted you free access to the commissary and the gym – as long as there is someone with you and you promise not to wander off alone," Janet said. "And Walter will bring you any book you want to read."

Daniel could just nod. This morning he'd have been happy with this little more freedom. But now it only grated on his nerves. The commissary and the gym!

"How long... I mean... I can't stay here forever, can I?" he asked, worriedly rubbing his thumb with his forefinger. "What... What's going to happen?" He wanted to ask about Teal'c. And about Makepeace and SG-1. Instead he asked, "Will they send me into foster care?"

Janet wrapped an arm around his shoulders and hugged him gently. "I wish I could tell you more, honey. The decision hasn't been made yet. I'm sorry. But I can assure you General Hammond has your best interest in mind."

_Unless he, too, thinks I'm brainwashed by the Goa'uld,_ Daniel thought, but kept quiet. He leaned into Janet's hug a little. It felt good to be hugged and he really liked this Janet as much as he had liked his own.

When the doctor asked him if he wanted to have dinner at the commissary, Daniel nodded, happy to leave his quarters for a while.

As they walked through the familiar corridors and rode the elevator to level 22, where the kitchen and the commissary were, he looked for differences. But he but couldn't spot anything. Uniforms, rooms, hallways, everything looked just like in his own reality.

It was disturbing on many levels. And yet it was also beginning to calm him.

The mess was rather crowded. There was laughter and conversation and the room was filled with the smell of mac and cheese and fish. It must be Friday then, Daniel thought. There was always fish on Fridays. Heads turned to look at the newcomer and for a moment the noise level dropped a notch, as some of the officers stared at Janet and the blond, blue-eyed boy.

Janet put a reassuring hand on his shoulder and steered him through the room until they reached the counter to chose their food. Daniel went for mac and cheese while Janet settled for the fish.

His stomach grumbled and with a little surprise he realized he was actually hungry.

Several people stood in line with them, but Daniel didn't pay attention to anybody, hoping that would keep people from paying attention to him. He didn't like to be looked at. He remembered how everyone had stared at him shortly after his downsizing. Nobody had been used to seeing a kid at the SGC.

Well, nobody was used to seeing a kid at _this_ SGC either.

They received their food and proceeded to the dessert counter. Daniel eyed the chocolate muffin, the apple pie and the blue jell-o. There was only one piece of apple pie left and the chocolate muffin looked way better.

Janet sighed wistfully. "I think I need to skip dessert. You, however, should take what you like. You're a little skinny." She gave him a worried look. "I noticed you didn't touch the sandwiches you got for lunch."

"I wasn't hungry. But I am now," Daniel said apologetically.

"That's great. What do you want?"

"Excuse me... Do you mind?" an impatient voice came from behind them. "Some people actually want to eat their dessert, instead of just looking at it."

Daniel knew what the colonel was after. If he was just a little bit like his own Jack, he'd go for the apple pie. Daniel didn't know what got into him, but he decided here and now that he wanted the pie. Before O'Neill could reach past Janet, Daniel snatched the pie from the counter.

"I like the pie best," he told Janet.

"Hey!" O'Neill glared at Daniel over the doctor's head. "That's my pie, brat."

Daniel looked at the plate, then at the colonel. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know it had a name tag."

"Hand it over."

"Colonel!" Janet turned and stared at the tall man with all her intimidating five feet, two inches. "Leave Daniel alone."

He was about to give in and let O'Neill have his pie, suddenly a little startled by his own courage. But then the colonel scowled down at Janet, grabbed the chocolate muffin, smacked it on his tray and stalked off.

"Thanks," Daniel whispered and suppressed a nervous giggle.

"Sometimes he's like a little kid." Janet sighed – and smiled. "I'm the one with the needles, so if the colonel gives you any trouble, just tell me."

When Daniel reached for a mug to pour himself coffee, she cleared her throat. "Were you allowed to have coffee in your... where you came from?"

"Sure," Daniel said a little too fast, then blushed and mumbled, "Not really."

Tsking, she took the mug out of his hands. "Try warm milk," she offered.

"Can I have water instead?" he pleaded with her.

"Juice?"

"Water mixed with juice?"

"Fine," Janet said and laughed. Shaking her head she shooed him off so they could look for a free table.

_Uh–oh,_ Daniel thought as he realized the only table with two free seats was...

"Colonel," Janet said, briskly placing her tray on the dark blue tablecloth. "Do you mind?"

Looking up from the pile of reports he was reading – Daniel briefly mused that some things never changed – O'Neill's eyes narrowed for a moment. But then he shrugged and went back to reading.

"We could... I could," Daniel began, but Janet would have none of it.

"The colonel doesn't mind. Have a seat and enjoy your dinner, Daniel."

That, however, was easier said than done. Daniel picked at his mac and cheese and couldn't take his eyes from the man sitting across the table. From time to time the colonel would look up from his report and Daniel would hastily glance at his food, before he was once again observing O'Neill, mesmerized by the familiar features, the salt and pepper hair, the long fingers holding the files and the furrowed brow as he was reading.

He hadn't seen Jack in over a year.

Daniel caught himself childishly wishing with all his heart that this Jack was just a little like his. That, if Daniel had to stay in this universe for the rest of his life, this Jack could at least stop hating him. Or distrusting him.

_I'm not a Goa'uld spy_, Daniel wanted to scream at him. _I'm just me. I'm not your Daniel but it's not my fault. Look at me!_

But of course he didn't say any of this. He continued to pick at his food and only began to eat when Janet gently nudged him, saying the macaroni wouldn't taste so good once it was cold.

Finally, Daniel pried his eyes away from the colonel and looked around the commissary. A few tables away he spotted Major Carter and Colonel Makepeace. They were seated with two other men Daniel didn't know.

He leaned over to Janet and asked in a low voice, "Who's with Sam and Colonel Makepeace?"

She followed his gaze and pursed her lips. "You know Colonel Makepeace already?"

Daniel nodded. "Yeah. We have one too where I come from."

"Oh. Well, next to Colonel Makepeace is Doctor Lee and next to Sam is Captain Cameron Mitchell," Janet explained.

"I don't know them," Daniel said. Doctor Lee was a sturdy man with a friendly round face, glasses and not much hair.

_Geek_, the Jack in Daniel's memories said dryly.

The other one was quite younger than the rest and looked like a good soldier, fit and with short brown hair.

"That," the Jack O'Neill sitting across from Daniel said, "is SG-1."

"They are?" Daniel blinked, a little shocked the colonel was actually talking to him.

"Oh, yeah. You should talk to Makepeace. He's a real hero type," the colonel said dryly as he ate his chocolate muffin.

"Not where I come from," Daniel muttered.

"Where you come from?" O'Neill frowned, then his eyes widened in amused shock. "Oh, yeah! The alternate reality thing. Sure. What's with him where you come from?"

"He's in jail," Daniel said, wondering if it was a good idea to share this information.

"Right," O'Neill said. "I think I like your reality better than mine."

A low beeping coming from the pocket of Janet's lab coat interrupted them. She put down her fork and reached for her napkin. "I'm sorry. That's my pager, Daniel. I need to go."

"Oh, that's okay, I'll go with you."

"No, I want you to eat some more. I'll send the guard from your quarters."

"That's okay. I'll take him," Colonel O'Neill said to Daniel's surprise.

Janet, who was already on her feet and about to put her tray away, paused. "Are you sure, Colonel?"

"Yeah. Go." He waved her off.

"Oh, okay." She tousled Daniel's hair, balancing the tray with one hand. "I'll stop by before I leave tonight," she promised and left.

Feeling very small all of a sudden, Daniel peered at O'Neill through his eyelashes. "You don't have to escort me," he mumbled.

"We don't want you to get lost again, right?"

Daniel didn't know what to say to this, so he took a sip from his drink.

"Eat," the colonel ordered, pointing at the mac and cheese. "I need to be in a briefing in about twenty. Wouldn't miss it for the world." He grimaced.

"You don't like briefings. They bore you."

"Are you kidding? Couldn't live without them. Now eat up, or there'll be no dessert."

Daniel took a bite of his now cold macaroni and grimaced. "I'm not hungry anymore."

"Your choice." O'Neill shrugged and took Daniel's apple pie.

"Hey, that's... that was mine," Daniel spluttered as he watched the colonel munching happily on his pie.

"Ah, but you're wrong. It was my pie." For the first time since Daniel had met this version of Colonel O'Neill there was something close to amusement in the chocolate brown eyes looking back at him.

Tempted, Daniel scowled. "Wasn't."

"Was."

"Wasn't!"

"That's enough," O'Neill cut him off sharply. He finished Daniel's pie and gathered his reports together. "C'mon, brat. Let's go."

"Stop calling me brat," Daniel ground out.

"Why? Suits you."

"Does n..."

But the colonel was already on his way to the door. Daniel carried his tray to the counter and followed him out.

When they reached the VIP room, O'Neill just handed Daniel over to the SF at the door and left without another word.

Daniel went through his bathroom routine, pulled on the pastel green pajamas and crawled into the large bed. Then he lay awake, gazing at the dark ceiling, thinking of home and how worried Teal'c and Sam must be.

Wait... what if there was a way for his Sam to find him? If she activated the sphere and found the right reality...?

"Please come and rescue me," he whispered into the still room. "I'll never touch anything again. I promise."

The next morning Daniel's SF escorted him to the commissary where they had breakfast together. Daniel had French toast and eggs. When he realized the guy didn't care one way or the other, he poured himself a cup of coffee.

At least he could get something out of having breakfast with a silent youngish guy who was apparently bored out of his skull. The SF kept looking at his watch and wasn't exactly communicative.

Even dinner with the cranky colonel had been more entertaining, Daniel decided when he was escorted back to his quarters thirty minutes later. Before the SF left, Daniel asked him if Walter could bring him some books.

Walter knocked at his door a short while later and Daniel gave him a list of books from the archaeological library, hoping they had the same books here. Walter promised to try his best and left.

He watched the Indiana Jones DVDs they had given him, fascinated by the fact that despite this being another reality they had Indiana Jones. And there was not one scene in the movie Daniel didn't know.

Not even the special features were different from the ones he had at home.

"Parallel realities are not really that exciting," he mumbled and laughed. His Jack would have thought it was funny.

Later Daniel was escorted to lunch by another SF who was equally as mute as his colleague.

_Parallel realities are kind of boring, _he thought sullenly when he was back from lunch and Walter still hadn't brought the books.

In the afternoon Janet visited him. She looked tired and Daniel wondered if he should ask what had happened at the infirmary. But before he could make up his mind, she asked if he'd agree to a few more tests.

"What kind of tests?"

"Oh, no needles or anything like that." She laughed. "Do you have someone called Doctor MacKenzie where you come from?"

"Ah-huh," Daniel mumbled.

She patted his shoulder. "Then you probably know he's a psychologist and works for the program. He talks to people who experience traumatic... bad... things while traveling through the Stargate. He tries to help them to recover."

"Okay," Daniel said noncommittally and tried not to think of injections and padded cells.

"If you don't mind we'd like you to do some simple tests so we can estimate how much of your adult memories are still intact and..."

"You want to know how smart I am," Daniel said, hoping it had the right ring to it. He couldn't play dumb without making Janet suspect something. Not after he had talked about quantum mirrors and parallel universes. But he could kiddiefy his behavior a little.

Apparently he found the right tone and words. Janet smiled approvingly. "Yes, that's right. Would you like to do a few simple math tests and some word games? Answer some personal questions? These kind of things?"

Daniel shrugged. "Sure."

"Good. We'll meet with Doctor MacKenzie in an hour then."

To his surprise he actually looked forward to it. It gave him something to do and he wouldn't have to be alone for a while. Oh, god, he really needed a reality check if he was actually looking forward to do something with MacKenzie.

MacKenzie was MacKenzie here or there, Daniel decided as they met in a small meeting room. Daniel recognized the room. It was used for diplomatic negotiations, which were mostly long and exhausting. Those meetings were one thing he'd happily stopped attending after his downsizing. He had only served as an advisor for the "grown ups" who had taken his place when it came to negotiations between the SGC and alien governments.

MacKenzie asked a lot of questions and Daniel had to explain once again where he'd come from and what the sphere had looked like. He tried to remember what he had told Hammond, Sam and Janet before and not to add anything.

MacKenzie scribbled on a pad and nodded a lot, then explained the intelligence test to Daniel. Of course he used phrases like "show us how smart you are" and "maybe we can even learn something from you." When MacKenzie was done explaining the rules, he and Janet left Daniel with a stack of paper and pens.

He began to study the assignments. Most of them were easy. Math, grammar, some strategic and logic games, some general questions about history... Daniel wondered if Earth history actually was different in some points here compared to his own universe. The thought was thrilling and he wondered where exactly this universe had parted from his own.

Then Daniel discovered several Egyptian and Greek texts they wanted him to translate and a page with Abydonian glyphs.

The last section of the test contained the really interesting parts. Personal questions about Doctor Daniel Jackson, questions about several alien cultures and planets, gate addresses... Daniel carefully considered and chose what to answer correctly and where to cheat.

He was well aware he was stuck between a rock and a hard place. If he came across as someone who knew too much they might never let him leave the SGC. On the other hand if they decided he was no threat he might end up in foster care.

If they thought he was worth it, they might keep him here to work for them.

Or not. Probably they'd believe O'Neill and think he was some Goa'uld spy after all.

With a sigh, Daniel began to work.

Curiously enough he found himself engrossed in what he was doing so much, he had a hard time keeping himself from following his natural streak to share all his knowledge.

For the first time since he had arrived in this reality, he felt the tension ease away a bit as he concentrated on his task.

When Daniel was done with the tests, Janet took him to the commissary for ice cream and when he returned to his room, a pile of books awaited him with a note from Walter that if Daniel needed anything else, he could always ask.

**4**

"Colonel, I'm sorry but there's no way..."

"He might still be alive somewhere, sir."

"It's been over three months, Jack." Hammond shook his head. "I can't send another team on a rescue mission. You know I left the door open as long as I could."

Jack scrubbed a hand through his short hair and rose from the chair he'd been sitting in. Pacing the space in front of his superior's desk, he went on. "I know that and I appreciate it. But with all due respect, sir, Teal'c is probably being tortured and then stuck in a sarcophagus over and over again. They won't give him a fast and merciful death."

"The decision is out of my hands. The President ordered me to delete Teal'c's IDC from the computer. The general opinion is that if he's still alive he's probably compromised by now."

Jack saw the weariness in his CO's face. This was an old argument and yet, he still tried. "Sorry, sir, but that's a load of..."

"Colonel O'Neill, you are way out of line," Hammond snapped, but his heart wasn't in it. Shaking his head he added, "There's only so much I can do."

Jack's jaw twitched, but he backed off. "Sorry, sir."

The general gave him a weary look. "Not everyone here is able to just switch to insubordination if things don't go a certain way. You know Senator Kinsey is just waiting for another slip so he has a valid reason for shutting us down."

"Send me," Jack said quietly. "I'll take full responsibility."

"You're grounded from gate travel."

"You can court martial me when I'm back. I don't care as long as I find Teal'c."

Hammond shook his head. "IF you find Teal'c. You don't have the slightest idea where to start looking. And I'm sorry, but that's not going to happen. And don't get any ideas of trying to go through that gate against my orders, Colonel."

"General, I lost Teal'c. It was my screw up. My fault."

"Yes it was. You took him and two good men on a revenge trip. Teal'c is lost, two men are dead. And now you have to live with the consequences," Hammond said coldly, his blue eyes piercing Jack.

Jack opened his mouth to answer when a brisk knock at the door interrupted him. At Hammond's call to enter he turned to see Fraiser rushing in, a file in her hand. He stepped aside to give the petite little woman more space. "I'll...," Jack pointed over his shoulder to the door and was about to leave when Fraiser called him back. "I think you should hear this, Colonel."

"Why? You clearing me for gate travel?" He quirked an eyebrow at her, but his darkest looks or inappropriate sarcasm never worked on the good CMO.

"No, sir. It's about Daniel," she said.

_Oh here we go. _"Look, I don't really see why the kid should concern me."

"Colonel, I agree with Doctor Fraiser," Hammond said, giving Jack a hard look.

"Thank you, sir," she said airily. "As you know, Doctor MacKenzie and I recently tested Daniel to get a grasp on how much he remembers of his former life and whether he would be a security risk."

"It had to be MacKenzie of all people?" Jack snorted before he could hold back. "If you really think that's Daniel..."

"Then MacKenzie knows him and is familiar with his file," Janet interrupted.

When she paused, Hammond nodded, encouraging her to continue.

"Well, we have the results now." She rustled the file and opened it as she went on. "Daniel is a very intelligent young man. Reads, writes and translates Egyptian, Latin and Greek fluently. He solved most of the math assignments and reached 98 percent with the logic and strategical games. He did excellent in grammar and history. There are some variances regarding Doctor Jackson's personal dates. For example, Daniel states his parents died 1973 in New York while our Daniel's parents died 1975 in Cairo. That could be differences due to the alternate time lines. Yet," she studied the file once again, "he wasn't able to translate the Abydonian text and when confronted with the alien races we encountered over the last few years and questioned about gate addresses, his descriptions were very vague. He apparently can't remember much of their missions, except those that for some reason stood out to him or he was told about."

"You mean missions that affected him personally? Like the downsizing?" Hammond asked.

Janet gave him a firm nod. "He does remember who he was, but not everything he did when he was still a grown up. At least... that's what the results are telling us."

Jack picked up on the slight hesitation in her voice. "You think he cheated."

"Well, Doctor MacKenzie doesn't think so," Janet admitted, clucking her tongue. "But I looked at the results and they just don't seem right. I can't even say why."

"Did you talk to Doctor MacKenzie about your doubts?" Hammond asked.

"Not yet, sir. It's just a hunch. I have no evidence he cheated."

Hammond frowned at that. "You spent time with the boy. What is your personal opinion, Doctor?"

"It's hard to say. If he contains all the knowledge of the adult Daniel Jackson, he could probably fake the test for whatever reason."

"And why would he do that?" Jack asked.

"My assumption would be he's scared. He doesn't know whom to trust. If he has all his adult memories he knows exactly how the military works. He might not want to give away more than he has to for now."

"Then we have a problem," Hammond said into the following silence. "As long as we don't know for sure how much knowledge the boy has, we can't just send him into foster care. For his own safety as much as ours."

Fraiser frowned upon that. "Sir, whether or not this boy contains all of Doctor Jackson's memories, he can't stay at the SGC. This is no place for a kid, no matter how educated or mature he seems to be."

Hammond pointed at an open file on his desk. "I'm aware of that. The president wants to know if he's a security risk or a threat in any form. He's also made it very clear that under no circumstances can the boy stay at the SGC indefinitely."

"What Daniel needs is a home. A social environment where he can settle in and live a normal life. He may be aware of who he is and he may contain more of his memories than he wants us to believe. But when it comes down to it he's still a kid. He's lonely and he needs fresh air and something to do. I'd take him home, but I can barely balance my time between the SGC and Cassie. It wouldn't be fair to either Cass nor Daniel if I..."

"We can't just find a new family for him. We need someone who's cleared and able to deal with the situation," Jack objected. "And I still think the brat isn't what he claims to be. Or rather who he claims to be."

"Oh, I think he is," Janet said. "If you'd spend some time with him, Colonel, you'd see it too. He's," she trailed off and then finished with a helpless little laugh, "Daniel. And there's the fact that his DNA matches 100 percent with our Daniel."

"Ah." Jack longingly gazed at the closed office door and leaned against the wall next to it while Janet started firing off more reasons why the poor little kid couldn't stay on base.

He didn't like the way the kid reminded him of Daniel. He didn't want to be reminded of Daniel by a snotty Mister-I-know-it-all. So what if he was Daniel Jackson from another reality? Did they really believe he'd come here accidentally? Who in his right mind would allow a kid to play with Asgard technology?

_Oh, but you know Daniel_, a tiny voice cackled in the back of Jack's mind. _He probably wasn't supposed to play with it and just touched something he shouldn't have. _

His own Daniel had done it all the time.

And yet... Jack couldn't get his head around it. He had seen Apophis brainwash Teal'c's kid. He knew the snake heads would wet their pants over any opportunity to get the upper hand in this war. Hell, the bitch, Hathor, had gone out of her way to build a fake SGC just for SG-1. Apophis had sent kids from all over the galaxy to a planet so they could play Jaffa and Tau'ri. They'd had SGC uniforms, weapons, chain of command... everything. Nirrti had planted a bomb in Cassie...

And on top of all that Jack didn't really like kids. Period. Okay, so he liked Cassie. But that was different.

"...someone who is able to guard the boy," Hammond's voice pulled Jack out of his gloomy musings.

"I agree," Fraiser nodded.

"Guard the boy? So he won't run off? Or so he won't get snatched by the NID?" Jack asked.

"Both, actually. We can't risk Daniel being kidnapped. And just in case your suspicions are right, Colonel, we can't allow the kid to find a way of accessing classified information. So he needs to leave base, but he can't stay with just anybody," Hammond said.

"Kawalsky," Jack suggested. "He's good with kids."

"Major Kawalsky has a tight mission schedule. We need someone who doesn't go off world, but is capable of keeping an eye on this Daniel," Hammond said.

"What? Someone with Special Ops training?" Jack smirked. "Or a marine? Those guys will be thrilled to be assigned to babysitting duty..." He paused when he realized that both Fraiser and his CO were gazing at him with similar thoughtful expressions. "Whoa... no way. I mean, with all due respect, General." Jack pushed off the wall and stood a little straighter. "That's a really bad idea."

"It would only be temporary until we found a permanent place for the kid," Hammond coaxed. "And you could use a little time off, Jack. You have enough leave to spend a couple of weeks at home."

"A couple of _weeks_?" Jack squeaked, then repeated loudly. "Weeks... sir?!"

"This is a sensitive situation. We have to keep Daniel's best interest in mind."

"I am _not_ in the kid's best interest," Jack hollered. "He doesn't even like me!"

"You'll get used to each other," Fraiser said confidently. "And it actually makes perfect sense. You are Daniel's next of kin, Colonel."

"Yeah. Not this Daniel's, though," Jack snapped.

"It spares us the formalities for now," Hammond agreed. "If we claim this Daniel to be a relative of Doctor Jackson..."

"No, no, no... wait..."

"Look at it this way, Colonel. You can use the time to figure out if this Daniel is a Goa'uld spy or not," Hammond pointed out enthusiastically. "You're the one I trust to guard the kid without doing it so obviously that anyone gets suspicious."

"I don't even know what a kid needs," Jack started, but was cut off by Fraiser.

"I'll write you a list. Don't you worry. You'll do just fine. Remember that Reetou kid? You were great with him."

"Yes, and don't forget that alien girl you kidnapped and took for a walk." Hammond was almost humming now.

"That was different," Jack ground out. "The Reetou kid was sick and... well... kinda cute. And the girl was about to get her brain sucked out." He scowled.

"You get along with Cassie, too," Fraiser purred.

"I like Cassie," Jack said, knowing he was being defensive. "And none of them had to live with me! They wouldn't want to live with me! They'd hate it. I'd hate it."

Hammond reached for the phone, briskly waving him out of his office. "You're dismissed, Colonel. I'll make some calls. Please inform the boy. Oh, and Colonel... Daniel might need things. Take him shopping. You can turn in the bills in to the Air Force. Doctor Fraiser, I want to talk to you about something else."

The meeting was apparently over.

An hour later, Jack O'Neill stared at the mile long list Fraiser had provided.

"Take Daniel with you so he can choose his clothes and anything he wants," she had advised him.

_Right,_ Jack thought. _Going shopping with a little genius was exactly what I had in mind for this nice sunny afternoon._

Not.

It was Friday. The mall would be crowded with families on their weekly shopping trips. In other words; moms with wailing toddlers and daddies who had lost the will to live the moment they left their offices.

Swell.

Jack decided the shopping trip could wait till tomorrow. Or Monday. Or indefinitely. He made a detour to the locker room, changed into jeans and a sweatshirt, grabbed his leather jacket and headed out again.

He'd have to get an alarm system for the house and do regular bug sweeps. Just peachy.

His leave had started thirty minutes ago when he had signed the papers with gritted teeth. As he had left Hammond's office he could almost hear the sigh of relief following him. They had gotten rid of Jack and the unwanted little guest in one move. Nice job.

_Okay that wasn't fair_, Jack thought as he dismissed the bored looking SF who stood guard at Daniel's door. Hammond was a good man who just had a lot of crap to deal with. And Jack knew he wasn't exactly making things easier for the general.

Pushing the door open he found the kid sitting on his bed, dressed in blue mini BDUs and a black t-shirt. A large cardboard box sat next to him and that was it. Daniel had his hands twined together in his lap and looked at Jack with huge blue eyes.

"So," Jack said. "You ready?"

"I told them you don't have to take me," he said in a flat voice, wringing his hands.

"Well, that's nice of you, but they ordered me to so there's not much I can do about it."

The head went down and the arms came around for the self hug.

So Daniel.

Damn.

"Is that all you have?" Jack pointed at the box and Daniel nodded without looking up.

"I didn't bring my gear and suitcase," he mumbled.

"Is that snippiness?"

"Is that a word?"

"What?"

"Snippiness... It's not a word," Daniel said. How could the brat look so miserable and yet be so sarcastic?

"It is now," Jack declared and opened the door again. "Let's go."

Realizing the kid could barely look over the top of the box he was carrying, Jack reached for it when they changed elevators. "Gimme that."

Daniel passed the box over without a word. As soon as he had his hands free he hugged himself again. Surprised at how light the large box was, Jack juggled it as he swiped his card through the door slot for the last ride up.

Apparently Walter couldn't find a small box for Daniel. Jack was sure from the feel of it that the kid's possessions would fit into a shoe box.

_There seems to be next to nothing in it_, he thought and felt uncomfortable all of a sudden. If the kid was working for someone, they had sent him with just the clothes he was wearing. Whatever was in that box only belonged to Daniel because someone had been kind enough to give away some stuff from their own kids.

Maybe Fraiser's list wasn't too long after all.

They crossed the last checkpoint and took the shuttle bus to the parking lots. When Jack opened the doors to his black truck, Daniel stopped and gazed at the Ford like he had never seen one before.

He reached out a small hand and gingerly placed it on the hood.

"Hey," Jack growled. "Don't touch. It'll leave fingerprints."

Yanking his hand away as if burned, Daniel went back to hugging himself, mumbling, "Sorry."

Jack placed the box into the back seat and motioned for Daniel to climb in beside it. The boy complied without a word and put his seat belt on.

Once he steered the truck out of Cheyenne Mountain complex, he eyed the kid in the rearview mirror. "You okay if we do the shopping trip tomorrow?"

Daniel shrugged and stared out the side window.

"Fine." Jack put on his sun glasses. "We can order pizza tonight. You like pizza, right?"

Daniel nodded.

Opening the window to let the mild afternoon breeze in, Jack tried to concentrate on the traffic and ignore his mute little passenger in the back.

When they reached the house, Jack grabbed Daniel's box from the backseat and carried it to the front door where he fumbled with his keys for a moment. It was only when he had managed to open the door and walked in that he noticed the kid still stood by the truck, rooted to the spot.

What now?

"Hey!" Jack called out. "You gonna come in or what?" He put the box on the floor in the hallway, hung up his leather jacket and proceeded to the kitchen, leaving the front door ajar.

He opened the fridge and scowled at its contents, realizing he didn't have anything but beer to drink.

And coffee.

So they'd order coke with the pizza. Doctor Pepper. Or whatever soft drinks they offered.

And they would add grocery shopping to Janet's list.

Swell.

Jack slammed the fridge door shut and almost jumped when Daniel seemed to appear out of thin air in the doorway. "Christ," he groaned. "You're sneakier than me!"

"Where do you want me to put the box? In the spare room?" It was the first thing Daniel had said since they left the mountain.

"Yeah. I'll show you."

"Don't bother. I know the way." With that he turned and left.

"What do you want on your pizza?" Jack yelled after him.

"Whatever," Daniel yelled back.

Jack peered around the doorjamb and watched Daniel wander down the hall with his box. Curious if the kid really knew the way, he followed quietly and reached the back of the house just in time to see Daniel balancing the box in his arms as he managed to open the spare room door. There was a low thump when said box hit the bed or floor and then the door was closed with a louder thud.

He knew the way.

Right.

Jack refused to think about that particular bit of information as he hunted down the menu card of his favorite pizza delivery service. He ordered pepperoni, double cheese and sausage for himself and, without thinking, mushrooms, ham and peppers with cheese for Daniel. And two cans of Mountain Dew.

That done, he went into his Friday afternoon routine which he always followed if he wasn't off world. He dumped out the trash, did some cleaning and vacuumed the living room. Jack wasn't big into chores, but he liked his house clean and tidy. And surprisingly, he no longer had a problem keeping it that way since Daniel wasn't around anymore to leave his stuff everywhere.

Not that Daniel had lived here permanently. But he had stayed at Jack's place when they'd come back from Abydos. Oh, and after they'd gotten rid of his apartment that one time they thought Daniel had been dead. And then after his sarcophagus addiction Jack had taken him in again as Daniel had gone through withdrawal.

He had stayed for quite some time then. Between missions and lockdowns and more missions there had been little time to do serious house hunting and they'd been comfortable with the arrangement.

But even when he'd only stayed the night on a weekend there was always clutter where Daniel was involved. He'd always brought books. As in plural. Not a book, but books. And his notebook. And his allergy meds. And his own coffee. Oh yeah, Jack's coffee had never been good enough for Doctor Jackson. When Daniel had moved in with Jack after the sarcophagus addiction, Jack had finally caved and started to buy that expensive Sumatra Manderling stuff so Daniel didn't have to wrinkle his nose at Jack's bad taste whenever he stayed over.

Jack was still drinking it.

And Jack missed the clutter. Not that he'd admit it.

He pushed Charlie's picture aside to wipe some dust off the shelf and then rearranged it so it stood next to their family photo which had been taken in front of their home at the other end of the Springs. Looking at it briefly, Jack remembered he needed to put a check in the mail for Sara. He took care of it, leaving the envelope with the pile of outgoing mail on the fridge.

A moment later the pizza was delivered. He put the boxes on the dining room table and went to gather his new house guest. Knocking at Daniel's door, he told him dinner was there and returned to the kitchen to get his beer and a pizza slicer.

Daniel showed up when Jack had sliced both pizzas and opened his beer. The boy sat across from him, perched on his chair as if he might run the next minute, and gazed at his pizza. Then he raised his head and their eyes met over the table.

Jack resisted the urge to look the other way. Daniel's eyes were red-rimmed and a little puffy.

_For crying out loud._

"Look," Jack began with a weary sigh. "I..."

"Thanks. That's my favorite pizza," Daniel said softly.

"Yeah," Jack mumbled. It had been Daniel's favorite. And he had placed the order without even thinking about it. "You like the Mountain Dew, too? It's... was... what Daniel had, sometimes."

"I like it."

"Good. There's only beer otherwise. I wasn't exactly expecting company."

"It's fine." Daniel's head went down again as he fiddled with the can and took a sip.

"We'll go shopping tomorrow," Jack said. "You can think about the foods you'd like us to buy. And we need to figure out where to get everything else on Fraiser's list."

"I don't need much," Daniel mumbled and nibbled at his pizza.

"Well, the good doc says otherwise," Jack replied dryly.

"She can't make me buy things if I don't want them," the kid ground out, switching from shy and subdued to sullen and defiant in a heartbeat.

Jack decided he didn't like these sudden mood swings. "Hey, she's just worried," he began but the kid threw the pizza slice into the box, blue eyes blazing with barely suppressed anger.

"She didn't even..." Daniel bit his lip and his whole body seemed to crumple into itself as he hunched his shoulders and avoided Jack's eyes.

"What? She didn't even – what?"

"Nothing. Sorry."

They continued their dinner in awkward silence and whenever Jack felt the blue eyes settle on him and looked up, Daniel would gaze at his pizza again. After another five minutes of avoiding eye contact and pushing his pizza slices around in its box, Daniel asked if he could be excused. "I'm tired."

He had barely eaten two small slices of his pizza.

"For it being your favorite you didn't exactly eat much," Jack pointed out.

A shrug answered him.

"I'll put it in the fridge for you," Jack offered.

He got no answer. The kid just slid from his chair and scurried out the room.

While Jack cleared the table and threw the pizza boxes away, he wondered how long it would take them to find a real home for this odd boy. He was about to get out some bath towels and take them to Daniel's room when the phone rang.

**5**

Daniel stood in the small bathroom that adjoined Jack's spare room.

He had no towel and no toothbrush. He didn't even have a brush to comb his hair. He could go to bed dirty, without brushing his teeth or combing his hair. Wasn't that a boy's dream?

He grimaced. Not this boy's dream.

Why didn't this Jack have any towels stored in this bathroom? Daniel opened cupboards, but didn't find anything, not even shampoo.

Apparently this Jack never had friends staying over for the night.

"Well, probably no one wants to spend time with him," Daniel told his mirror image, finding it amusing how he seemed to have made a habit of talking to himself in the mirror.

He considered asking the colonel for towels and soap, but decided he'd rather wait until they went shopping. Going to bed without washing wouldn't kill him and O'Neill would probably appreciate it if Daniel stayed away from him as much as possible.

He ignored the cardboard box he had dumped on the desk when he arrived this afternoon. He wouldn't put on the dumb pajamas. He could sleep in his underwear. It was warm enough.

Daniel tried not to think of Janet, who had been so nice all the time and then hadn't even bothered to say good-bye. It had been Walter who told Daniel about the sudden change of plans. So Daniel had to give back the books he had just gotten from the archaeological library. He was allowed to take the puzzle and the detective stories and the handed down clothes with him. And the crayons.

The rational part of his mind told him not to be selfish and stupid.

Janet had been busy at the infirmary. She had a job to do there. Walter had said she was in the middle of surgery and wouldn't be able to come, but that she'd promised to call later. And Daniel desperately tried to believe she would have come to say good-bye and... and that she would have taken him home if she were able to.

_She already has Cassie, _Daniel thought. _She couldn't take me even if she wanted to. _

_But other people have two kids and a job,_ a nasty little voice whispered at him. _She could have taken you if she really wanted to. _

He felt childish for thinking like that and at the same time felt betrayed and angry that they just pushed him off on the one person he really didn't want to stay with. Which was ironic and funny in a sad way, considering how badly he had wanted to stay with his own Jack once it was clear he couldn't be upsized.

Daniel sat on the bed and looked around. This was his room. It had always been his room as long as he could remember. Ever since he had come home from Abydos when Sha're had been taken, he had stayed in this room.

It was the exact same room.

Just without any of Daniel's things.

There was the desk, the chair, the bed and the bookshelf. Even the desk lamp was the same, a brass lamp similar to those in General Hammond's office. The walls were painted in a rich terracotta tone and the polished wooden floor creaked a little when he walked on it.

But there were no books on the shelf and no pictures on the wall. When Daniel had still lived with his Jack, he'd had pictures of Egypt hanging on one wall and a picture of SG-1 on the desk next to an old battered photo of Daniel's parents. Daniel had put those pictures into the room when he had moved in with Jack after Nem held him hostage and they gave up Daniel's apartment. And the pictures, except the one of his parents, had never left when he moved out again. When he'd gone back to live with Jack as a kid, the picture of his parents had reclaimed its place on the desk.

His 3D puzzle of Camelot and the half finished puzzle ball of the historical map... he'd spent hours working on both at home. It had become one of his new hobbies. Now nobody would finish them.

His ancient wooden chest from India was missing, too. Jack had cursed and growled when he and Teal'c had carried that thing from Daniel's apartment to the truck and then into Daniel's room. It was a heavy wooden chest with iron handcrafted metal fittings and intricate carvings in its lid. Daniel had bought it at an antique flea market a couple of years ago. He had kept books in it until he was downsized. Once it stood at the foot of his bed in Jack's house, it held all sorts of stuff. Small artifacts he didn't want to leave in storage with his other furniture and belongings, his diaries, some musical sheets from when he had still played the piano, a photo album with pictures from his college years and the one dig in Egypt he had been on while he worked for Doctor Jordan. Fragments of his life as an adult.

The chest had been moved to Teal'c's quarters at the SGC after Jack was gone.

Daniel wondered if his chest existed somewhere in this reality.

If it did it had probably been sold or gone into the trash once this Daniel had died.

He wondered if this Jack and Daniel had been friends in the same way Daniel had been with his Jack. Maybe they were and maybe that was why this Jack was so mad at him. After all he was just a kid and not the "right" Daniel. And if that was the case, then this Jack would never like him even if he stopped thinking Daniel was a Goa'uld spy.

And what had happened to Teal'c? He could only try to put two and two together from what he had heard in the locker room. Why had this O'Neill lost SG-1 and why didn't he go off world anymore? Because of what happened to Teal'c. But what exactly had happened to Teal'c?

Daniel wished he could just ask the colonel about all this. But he really wanted to live another day, so that was a bad idea.

He crawled into his bed which wasn't his and fought the depressing feeling of living in a copy of his home.

A very bad copy.

But at least he knew the house and he could take care of himself. And maybe the colonel would be less angry if he realized Daniel wasn't going to be a burden. He didn't need all the attention real kids needed. He could do without that. This Jack could leave him alone and ignore him. Maybe Daniel just had to make that clear to the man. He wouldn't stay long anyway. They'd either find a new home for him soon or...

Or he'd take matters in his own hands and leave. One way or the other he'd find a place to live and grow up again. He had done it once and he could do it again. Growing up really wasn't that hard.

In the darkness that slowly crept into the corners of the room, Daniel listened to noises in the house. He could hear the faint sound of Jack's... the colonel's... TV, which was oddly familiar and lulled him into an exhausted sleep.

**6**

Jack woke to the smell of coffee.

Sniffing, he sat up and threw his covers aside. A look at the clock told him it was almost eight and for a confusing moment Jack thought he had overslept. Then he remembered he was on leave and the smell of coffee reminded him that he wasn't living alone anymore.

Which led to remembering a certain shopping trip on today's to-do-list.

Groaning, Jack got up and took a quick shower. He shaved and finally dressed in desert colored cargo pants and a dark blue long sleeved shirt.

Last night Fraiser had called and chewed his ear off for not taking the brat shopping right away and as if that wasn't bad enough, Sara had called right afterward and yammered at him endlessly...

And when he had taken Daniel the towels and some other stuff he might need, the kid had been fast asleep. So Jack had put everything into the spare bathroom and then stood at the kid's bed, staring down at him with very mixed feelings.

He didn't wake the kid and just left, thinking Daniel needed his sleep more than towels and soap.

The mixed feelings were still there and Jack had no idea how to make their living together work. He was used to being alone and a kid in the house meant a lot of changes. Kids were loud, demanding and whiny.

However, part of Jack felt like a son of a bitch for not making the effort and trying a little harder. This ... Daniel... was just a kid. And for whatever reason he was here, it wasn't his fault he'd ended up in Jack's house.

_Maybe his story is true after all,_ Jack thought. Everyone else seemed to believe it just like that.

But Jack really didn't want to take care of a little brat. He hadn't even been able to take care of his own son. Sure, he had some encounters with kids at the SGC and it turned out they liked him for some reason.

Why, he did not know.

But having one in his house and dealing with all the crap that came with the package?

Such a strange kid no less.

_He doesn't even like me_, Jack thought. _He doesn't want to be here any more than I want him to be here._

_Like you've given him any reason to like you,_ Jack's inner voice, which sounded suspiciously like Daniel, said. This wasn't new. Ever since Daniel had been gone, Jack's inner voice sounded a lot like him.

Maybe a padded cell at MacKenzie's wasn't such a bad idea after all.

_Oh come on,_ Jack thought. _You know how sneaky and manipulative these little buggers can be. They crawl onto your lap, give you the puppy dog eyes and the next minute you buy them ice cream, toys and a pony. _

Why should this one be any different?

_Because,_ the Daniel voice went on, _he lost everything and whether or not he's a Daniel Jackson from another universe, he needs someone to take care of him and you can't just push him away._

Jack shook his head, willing this weird inside conversation to stop

He quietly approached the kitchen and leaned against the doorjamb, watching Daniel, who had the coffee maker going and was currently standing on his toe tips, trying to reach a bowl in one of the upper cupboards. The Fruit Loops box and the milk were on the counter top. Daniel stretched his left arm until his fingertips touched the wanted item.

His tongue stuck out between his lips in concentration and his head was tipped back, wide eyes gazing at the bowl, which now slowly tipped over. The kid made a strangled sound as his fingers slipped from the porcelain and the bowl tumbled down.

Jack was there in one stride, catching the dish before it could crash on the kid's face and break his nose.

An endless moment long they just looked at each other, Jack holding his favorite cereal bowl in one hand and Daniel frozen in place.

"I just wanted..." Daniel said.

"You shouldn't..." Jack said at the same time.

"I know..." Daniel spluttered.

"How do you..." Jack began again.

"You first," they said in unison.

Placing the bowl on the kitchen table, Jack addressed the kid, "You're up early."

Daniel never got up early unless he really had to. And even then he navigated through the house with closed eyes until he had his first coffee.

"I couldn't sleep," the kid said quietly, carrying over the milk and the Fruit Loops. "I thought I'd try to be useful." He shrugged, then added. "There's coffee."

Jack didn't like this Daniel rummaging around in his kitchen, opening cupboards and looking into closets. But when he was about to tell him that, he remembered Daniel's red rimmed, puffy eyes from last night and couldn't snap at him. So he just nodded and retrieved mugs and spoons and another bowl for Daniel.

However, he had to address this issue later and he would.

"Can I have coffee?" Daniel asked, gazing longingly at the steaming pot.

"You're a bit young for coffee, don'tcha think?"

"Janet let me have coffee."

"She did?" Jack gave the kid a doubtful look. He'd have to ask her next time they talked on the phone.

"Uh..."

"I didn't think so."

"Do you actually care?" Daniel poured himself some coffee, went over to the kitchen counter, reached into the spice rack and returned with the small sugar jar.

He put two spoonfuls of sugar into his coffee, followed by the cream which he got from the fridge.

"Actually, no, I don't. But if the doc finds out I let you have coffee, she'll stick a needle of the size of a mothership into my... me."

Daniel snorted.

"So you better not let yourself get caught."

"I'll try not to."

Jack observed how Daniel began to sip his coffee. For the first time since he had met this kid, there was something like happiness on the young face as he smacked his lips and enjoyed his coffee in a way Jack had only ever seen Daniel doing it.

Clearing his throat Jack began eating his Fruit Loops. When he realized the kid hadn't touch his own bowl he couldn't help himself. "You should eat something."

"I'm not hungry."

"You didn't eat much last night."

"I'm really not very hungry," Daniel repeated, but reached for the spoon. He stirred the colorful donut shaped pieces a little, then grimaced and shoved the bowl away.

"Fraiser's going to rip me a new one if I don't feed you properly," Jack pointed out.

"Sorry," Daniel said, scowling. "I must have lost my appetite in the other reality."

"Of course you did," Jack snarked back. If the brat didn't want to eat he couldn't force him to. Then again... He rose and took Daniel's mug of coffee away from him.

"Hey!"

"No breakfast, no coffee. It's simple."

Blushing with anger, Daniel opened his mouth, then closed it again, swallowed and ground out, "Fine."

Jack poured the coffee down the drain. "We'll leave in half an hour, so be ready."

Despite his snarkiness and refusal to eat, Daniel helped to clear the table. He put the mugs into the sink and turned the coffee maker off. Then he left quietly.

It was Saturday morning and the mall seemed to be even more crowded than Jack had imagined. Trying not to curse too loudly, he circled the huge parking lot four times before they finally found a free space.

Daniel had been in the backseat, silently studying the list.

"So, where to first?" Jack asked when they stood in front of the double glass doors leading into the Chapel Hills Mall, shopping temple of Colorado Springs.

Looking at the list and chewing on his lip, Daniel informed him they'd find everything at JC Penney which was on the second floor.

"How'd you know that?" Jack wondered. He knew where JC Penney was, of course. But the kid wasn't from here, right? So...

"It was there when I did the whole shopping thing the first time around," Daniel said.

"The first time around?"

"When I got..." Daniel looked around and lowered his voice, "...littled."

"Ah," Jack muttered, scratching his head. "And you've been here, too, then."

"Yes. It's the easiest way to get everything you need in one place," Daniel said.

"And just how do you know JC Penney is on the second floor in this reality?" Jack asked.

For the first time something like uncertainty flickered across the kid's face. "I assumed it is. It's not? I mean... it's..." He gestured to the huge sign that pointed out the names of all shops inside.

"Yes, it is," Jack had to admit as he pushed open the heavy doors. "Second floor. Come on."

He was beginning to wonder how long he could hold on to his theory that the kid was an Goa'uld sent spy, trained for this mission. Because if he was, those snake heads knew way too much about Earth society and the interior of Jack's house. And that was impossible. At least Jack hoped it was.

They took the escalator, trapped between a madly-in-love young couple who locked lips all the way up, and an elderly woman, who smelled like she had poured a whole bottle of perfume over herself.

Thankfully the lady didn't go into Penny's with them and Jack took a deep relieved breath when they entered the store.

Daniel muttered something about tooth- and hairbrushes. "We can split up if you want to get things for yourself," the kid said. "You don't have to hang around me all the time."

Yeah, right. As if that was going to happen.

"As a matter of fact, I do. It's my job to keep an eye on you. So let's start with the toothbrush and work our way through it from there," Jack said, and as an afterthought added, "Don't wander off. If you get lost and I have to chase after you all over the place, we'll go home and Fraiser can take you shopping on her next day off."

Daniel stared at him as if he was trying to figure out whether this was a serious threat. Jack stared him down and finally received a nod.

"Okay. Let's do this," he held out his hand to Daniel. "Give me the list."

"I can take care of it," Daniel said. "You don't have to pretend you care. Or anything else. Just... uh... do your job. I'll be fine." With that he turned and started walking.

O-kay. Fine. Whatever. Jack would just let him do his thing.

He followed Daniel around as he efficiently collected his items. This kid really was acting like an adult, Jack thought with unease. Daniel wandered around the store, never looking left or right, always finding the correct department and only taking the things he needed.

Daniel didn't dawdle and ignored the toy department completely. Charlie would have started to whine by now, wanting to look for DVDs, CDs or toys.

They had all necessary toiletries in no time and moved on to the clothes department

Jack watched all this for a while and finally decided to butt in. "You know, the Air Force is paying for all your stuff. You don't have to pay attention to prices."

Daniel, who was looking at plain t-shirts, shrugged. "I don't need fancy clothes. I like plain."

"Or plaid," Jack blurted out. "You like plaid too, right?"

"Yes. But it's hard to find plaid shirts my size."

"Sorry to hear that," Jack said awkwardly, watching Daniel as he carelessly picked shirts his size without really looking at the color.

"Shouldn't you try them on?" Jack remembered Sara always insisted on Charlie trying clothes on when they'd gone shopping. It had resulted in tears and tantrums most times and Jack had chickened out of going along on those trips whenever he could.

"No. If they're too big I'll grow in. But they usually fit," Daniel explained.

"Right." Smart kid. Jack did shopping like that. The only thing he always needed to try on were shoes and pants.

Speaking of pants...

That would be their next stop. Jack offered to carry the bags as it looked like the kid was struggling with them a bit. At first Daniel stubbornly shook his head, but when he needed both hands to pick pants, he shoved the three bags into Jack's arms, muttering a, "Thanks."

Daniel looked at dark blue jeans and frowned at the label, then just started picking them randomly until he had four pairs of jeans hanging over one arm. "I'm done here. We can go to get the sweatshirts now."

"Whoa, hold on a minute. I want you to try these on," Jack ordered. "Pants are not like t-shirts. Even if you pick the right size, they might not fit."

"They will. I used to wear this brand at home," Daniel explained like he was talking to a brain dead child.

"And I'm not making an extra tour back here, just because you later find out they don't fit."

"They'll fit."

"Try them on."

"Listen, _Colonel_..."

"I won't pay for them unless you've tried them on," Jack snapped, pointing over at the fitting room cubicles.

"Didn't you just say the Air Force is paying for everything? Why do you care?" Daniel huffed, turned and stomped off to the fitting rooms.

Jack followed, bags in hand, and waited for Daniel to be done. Five minutes later, the brat stormed off once again to return two of the jeans and get two other pairs. Sullenly he tried them on and finally they had four pairs that fit.

"You sure that's enough?" Jack knew kids got dirty all the frigging time. "We should get some more."

"I rather wait for my permanent placement before buying too much. I'll have to take all these things with me when I move out," Daniel said.

Jack could see the point in that, so he just paid for the clothes and they moved on to sweatshirts where Daniel proceeded to just pick them by size and not caring what they looked like.

Five sweatshirts later Jack felt like a donkey carrying all those bags.

Daniel picked a black jeans jacket, pointing out it was almost summer. Jack argued that it rained in summer, too, and finally the brat gave in and bought a rain coat as well.

They got underwear, socks and pajamas. Their last stop was the shoe department where Daniel chose a pair of black sneakers and brown Doc Martens. He even tried them on after just a little pout and one glare from Jack.

"That's it," Daniel finally said, slipping Fraiser's list into the pocket of his BDUs.

"I don't think so." Jack sighed. "I know there was loads more stuff on that list."

"This is all I need."

"Show me that list."

"Why?"

"Because."

"I really don't need anything else," Daniel said.

Jack counted to ten. "What about DVDs? Toys? Gameboy? You can't just sit around all day doing nothing." Because that meant the kid would probably hog Jack's time and get on his nerves. Bored kids always meant trouble. "I won't entertain you," he added just to make that clear right away. "The only thing I can provide you with are chores."

"I...," Daniel stuffed his hands into his pockets and stared down at his feet. "I'm not sure what I want."

"They'll pay for whatever you want. I'd go with the flow if I were you," Jack coaxed. What kid could resist an offer like that? It was like Christmas and birthday together and Daniel would even get to pick his own gifts.

"Go with the flow," Daniel mumbled.

"Yep. Let's get these clothes into the truck and then come back and rob the toy stores," Jack suggested. Compared to clothes shopping this should actually be fun. Charlie had loved toy stores. Curiously enough, all the tears and tantrums stopped once Jack and his son had ventured into Toys 'R' Us, leaving Sara for a well deserved coffee break at Starbucks.

Funny. Jack had forgotten all about that particular part of going shopping with his family. He and Charlie weren't very close but they had done some fun things occasionally.

"Book stores," Daniel corrected slowly. "I mean... I can have books, too, right?"

_Daniel. Books. Right. _"Sure."

They locked the bags in the truck and ended up at Border's Books, where Jack observed how Daniel's eyes lit up. No, not just his eyes, but his whole face.

There he stood, head spinning, gazing at all the books on the shelves. They had whole sections of different books in the "Travel and Historical" department, from ancient historical books to cook books and travel guides and dictionaries.

Daniel walked to the Greek section, pulled out a book, flipped through it, then put it back. He went to the Egyptian books where he stayed for a while, reading a little, looking at pictures and muttering to himself.

Jack watched him.

Watched him and realized he maybe could find Daniel in this boy if he looked long enough. Deep enough. It scared him. He didn't want to find Daniel in this child, because he wasn't sure he could deal with that.

"How may I help you?" a sales woman approached Daniel.

Flustered, Daniel almost dropped the book he was currently studying. Jack caught the title. "Mysteries of Egypt: Secret Rites and Traditions".

"Um, I'm not sure," Daniel mumbled, blushing.

"Take your time and look around as long as you want," the sales lady assured him, then smiled at Jack. "Maybe your dad wants a cup of coffee while you're looking around? There's a refreshment area right over there." She pointed at the back of the store.

"He's not my..." Daniel began and Jack said at the same time, "He's not mine. I just watch him."

"Well if you want a coffee, sir, it's right over there," the woman said politely and turned to talk to another costumer.

Jack scrubbed a hand through his hair and turned to Daniel, who put the Egyptian book back onto the shelf. "Do you find anything you want to buy?"

Silent head shaking.

"Look, we can't stay here all day," Jack said, trying not to make it sound like an order. "We need to get groceries and I have to work some around the house."

"Okay," Daniel replied subdued and pulled "Mysteries of Egypt" off of the shelf again. "This one."

"One? Just one?"

"I... I don't know," Daniel mumbled.

"How about a movie? Some music? Or..." Jack made a stab in the dark. "Indiana Jones. You like Indy, right?"

Daniel nodded.

"Okay. I have Indy at home," Jack said, trying to sound encouraging. "How about some other movies? Remember, this is your 'pick anything you want day'."

"I don't want anything else," Daniel said, licking his lips. "I'm sorry."

"Hey, your loss." Jack sighed as he followed the kid to the check outs and then out of Border Books, trying to figure out what he had done now to upset him.

Whatever was bugging the kid, it soon began to annoy Jack as they continued their shopping trip in silence. On the whole he was fine with not talking. But it really didn't work so well when Jack was trying to figure out what food the kid liked.

He tried to involve Daniel into the grocery shopping, but never got more than a nod, a shrug or a barely audible "Okay." or "Whatever."

Jack couldn't decide whether the kid was sulking or depressed about something. After ten minutes of hauling Daniel around the supermarket, Jack stopped asking and just dropped into the cart everything he'd usually buy.

**7  
**

Back at the house, Jack told Daniel to help with carrying the bags in, which he did. When all the groceries were put away, Daniel mumbled something about unpacking his clothes and hurried out.

"Wait a minute. What do you want for lunch?" Jack called after him

Daniel came back, dragging his feet. "I'm not..."

"Aht!" Holding up his finger, Jack cut the youngster off. Enough was enough. "I'll cook. You'll eat. End of discussion."

"You can't make me," Daniel scowled, crossing his arms over his chest.

Taking a closer look at the kid, Jack noticed again how pale he was. And how skinny. "You didn't have breakfast."

"I don't like Froot Loops."

Counting to ten again, Jack began preparing hot dogs for lunch.

"I don't like hot dogs either."

"Tough. It's what you're getting." Jack felt his blood pressure go up.

"I don't want any." With that Daniel turned and marched off.

Jack smacked the hot dog buns on the kitchen counter and followed Daniel down the hall to his room where he got the door slammed in his face. Not bothering to knock, he pushed it open and barged in.

Daniel was on his bed and stared at him open mouthed, eyes growing wide.

"Listen, brat! I asked you.. oh, maybe a hundred times what kind of food you wanted me to get! You chose to sulk all the way through it so you'll have to live with hot dogs! Put your stuff away and get your butt into the kitchen ASAP." Without waiting for an answer, he walked out again, closing the door behind himself.

He had known it. Brats. All the same. They always had to whine about something, didn't they?

When the hot dogs were done and the house was filled with the delicious smell of sausages, mustard and onions, Daniel hadn't showed. Jack put two plates with hot dogs on the kitchen table and waited a few more minutes before he sat down and started to eat.

Daniel's hot dog was glaring accusingly at him, like it was Jack's fault the brat had decided to go on a hunger strike. He felt a headache coming on. He put his own hot dog aside, his appetite suddenly gone, and rubbed his temples.

_That's it_, he thought. He'd call Hammond to tell him he couldn't do this. He'd stay home and take his leave if that's what his CO wanted. But he wouldn't play daddy to a kid he barely knew. Daniel obviously had issues with Jack as well or he wouldn't be so difficult. Fraiser should have taken him in. Daniel liked her and they had gotten along great as far as Jack could tell. If it was just temporarily, Cassie would be okay with it.

And the kid would be better off with the doc at any time.

Jack picked up his cell from the kitchen counter and made his way to Daniel's room to give him the news and call the SGC.

Only Daniel wasn't in his room.

The door was ajar and when Jack pushed it open, after a tentative knock, he found the room empty, the bags of clothes still lying on the bed.

_On Daniel's bed,_ he thought. This had always been his Daniel's bed.

The door to the bathroom was wide open and apparently Daniel wasn't in there either.

Jack abruptly turned and went back into the hall, calling the kid's name as he searched the office, bedroom and even the master bathroom.

Jack went down to the living room.

No Daniel.

That left the basement. Or the back yard.

_Oh, yeah this must be Daniel,_ Jack thought grimly. _He's with me for a day and I already lost him._

The kid wasn't in the backyard, nor in the basement.

Silently cursing a blue streak, Jack decided to take a drive around the neighborhood. Daniel was on foot so he wouldn't have gone far yet. He had already unlocked the truck when he realized there was one other place he hadn't checked. Following a hunch, he made his way around the house and climbed the ladder to his roof platform.

He spotted the boy as soon as he reached the top of the ladder. He opened his mouth to give him a piece of his mind, but the sight of this Daniel triggered such a strong memory that Jack simply swallowed whatever he wanted to say.

The kid was squatted in a corner on the wooden floor, his head resting on his pulled up knees, arms slung around himself. He rocked back and forth, sobbing quietly.

The flashback took Jack to a storage room; his own Daniel sitting on the floor, crying in agony as he'd gone through the after effects of his sarcophagus addiction. Back then Jack had known what to do. He had recognized Daniel's personal hell of pain and withdrawal. And when Daniel had been sobbing in Jack's arms, stripped of his dignity and letting go completely, it had deepened their friendship in a way Jack had never thought possible.

Their mission to Abydos had set the foundation. Naturally Daniel had convinced Jack not to detonate the bomb as ordered which was the first sign of how easily the young scholar had gotten under Jack's skin. Sure he hadn't been eager nor happy to blow up a whole planet of innocent people, but Daniel had put Jack's doubts and issues into the right perspective and verbalized all the reasons why there was no need to mass murder a whole civilization. They'd worked well together to implement plan B; setting the warhead to go off on Ra's ship, after it had left the planet. And together, they'd overcome several obstacles between plan A and plan B. There'd been no question in Jack's mind about adding Daniel to his team, nor about taking him into his home when they'd returned to Earth after Sha're was taken a year later. It had been natural and easy to assume they would continue to work together to find Daniel's wife and brother-in-law.

Daniel had been the first human being Jack had allowed into his personal space after he'd come back from Iraq...

Daniel had been Jack's best friend.

That kind of friend you only find once in your life.

And Jack missed his Daniel way more than he was supposed to. The hole Daniel's death had ripped into him was the reason he wasn't going off world anymore.

And now he was stuck at home with this strange kid that was so much like Daniel...

_But none of it is his fault, _his Daniel's voice whispered in Jack's head. _He's just a kid. You can't blame him for your anger. Or grief. Or anything else that went wrong in your life._

Taking a deep breath, he climbed the last few steps of the ladder and slowly approached the boy.

He didn't know what to do, didn't dare touch the child. He could feel this Daniel's rejection almost physically, like an invisible force field.

He settled down on the floor next to him. "For what it's worth," Jack tried. "I'm... sorry."

He wasn't even sure what he was apologizing for. His outburst over the hot dogs seemed ridiculous all of a sudden. Over the top. This wasn't about hot dogs or the kid's eating habits. Jack had been angry because the boy was making his life difficult and had intruded on his self-chosen isolation.

There was no reaction and Jack's hand reached out, hovered over the blond head... then he snatched it back and pulled out his phone again. "Look, I'll call the base and tell them you'd rather stay with Doctor Fraiser."

"She doesn't want me." Daniel's voice was muffled by the fabric of his BDUs.

"Sure she does. She really likes you a lot."

"Doesn't."

"Does."

Frantic head shaking.

"She called last night and chewed me out for not taking you shopping right away. And she said to tell you she was sorry she couldn't say good-bye when you left. She was stuck in the infirmary. SG-11 came back injured," Jack said, suddenly realizing he'd forgotten to tell Daniel about that.

Daniel sniffed and rubbed his face on his knees. "Before we left... Walter told me she was doing surgery."

Jack flipped open his phone, then closed it again. "You want me to call her?"

"I'd just be extra trouble," Daniel said flatly, his face still on his knees. "If I was still big, things would be way easier. I could live on my own."

There it was again. This... downsizing... the kid kept insisting on. "So... it's really true, then?" Jack asked, trying not to sound too weirded out.

Daniel nodded.

He didn't want to know any of this, yet he asked. "How'd that happen?"

"On a planet where they gave me some strong drink. Like... like when they offered you the wedding cake? You... you went to Argos, too?"

"Oh. That. Yeah." Jack grimaced at the memory of his rapid aging.

"It was something similar, I think. Only it shrunk me."

"We left that one out. Our Daniel didn't get... shrunk." Jack flipped his phone open again, snapped it shut, opened it again, and finally placed it on the warm wooden planks between them.

When he looked up and across his yard Jack could see the tree tops with their fresh green leaves. Somewhere a lawn mower roared and someone yelled for his dog to come in. Soon it would be too hot to sit up here at noon, but the nights would be mild and the roof deck was inviting at night to do some star gazing.

He and Daniel had come up here often. To talk or to drink. Or both. When one of them was brooding and the other one needed to find him, this was the place to look.

_This Daniel knew that, _Jack thought with clarity. He still wasn't sure how to feel about that. "How long have you... ?"

"When it happened, our Janet said I was approximately nine. Going with that, I'm going to be eleven in July." Daniel sniffed again and coughed. "I'm sorry I... It's all my fault. I touched that sphere and... I can't blame you for being mad. They dumped me on you. It's not fair."

"Well, apparently I'm the one with the most time on his hands," Jack said dryly.

After a pause, Daniel took a deep breath and when Jack glanced over at him, the kid had lifted his head and was gazing at the wooden banister surrounding the roof platform. He was still hugging his legs, his hands clutched around them like he feared he was falling apart if he let go.

This was the famous Daniel-self-hug honed to perfection.

"Can I ask you something, Colonel?"

"Sure." Jack shrugged, unable to hold back.

"Why... why... is Colonel Makepeace the commander of SG-1?"

"Maybe he always was in my reality," Jack said smoothly, giving Daniel a sidewards look.

"No. I know he wasn't." The kid licked his lips. "He said he took over from you."

"And you know that... how?"

"When you found me in the locker room... I was hiding there from Makepeace and Kawalsky. I heard them talking about you," Daniel spluttered, blushing. He managed to move away from Jack a few inches without loosing the vice grip around his legs. "Sorry. I didn't mean to be nosy. It was just confusing me and..."

"Let's just say I made a few bad choices and got dressed down for it," Jack said. "They could have court martialed me, but they didn't. I'm stuck Earth side instead."

"What'd you do?"

"Didn't you just say you don't want to be nosy?"

"Does it have to do with Teal'c being MIA?"

"Daniel..."

"Colonel..."

"Stop that." Jack could hear the edge to his voice. "Don't stick your nose into my personal business, understood?"

Daniel tilted his head and blinked up at Jack, the traces of tears still visible on his cheeks. "I'm just trying to figure out the differences between your reality and mine."

"There's a line," Jack said quietly. "Don't cross it."

Nobody crossed Jack's lines.

Nobody except Daniel.

But then, Daniel had been different from most people Jack knew. Daniel had been a geek, and Jack's friends usually were a different sort. Guys like him. Military men, simple buddies with bad sense of humor and a liking for beer and hockey. Kawalsky, Feretti, both good men and friends of Jack. Daniel had his head in the clouds all too often, had rambled on about things Jack had neither had the patience nor interest for and had definitely thought too much about almost everything.

Still, or maybe because of that, they had liked each others company. Daniel hadn't joked about Jack's liking for opera and Jack had tried not to joke too much about Daniel's addictions to books and coffee. They'd been different on so many levels and yet there'd been mutual understanding and friendship.

This Daniel, however, even if he was a Daniel Jackson, was different. And a kid. So there were lines this Daniel wasn't allowed to cross. Jack wasn't supposed to share work related things with the kid. And he wouldn't.

The boy's stomach made a growling sound which caused Daniel to blush again.

"There's your pizza from last night in the fridge," Jack offered hesitantly. Why hadn't he thought about that before he'd gone ballistic over the hot dogs?

"What about the hot dogs?"

"There's more for me if you stick to the pizza." With an odd pang of relief Jack watched as Daniel unfolded himself from his almost fetal position and scampered to his feet.

**8  
**

Even microwaved the pizza was delicious and Daniel found himself digging in with gusto. Jack... the colonel... sat across him, eating his re-heated hot dog.

Daniel felt the brown eyes gazing at him. But it wasn't as uncomfortable anymore. Or maybe he was just too hungry to be bothered by it.

"So you don't like hot dogs," Jack broke the silence. "Anything else I should know of?"

Swallowing a bite of pizza, Daniel replied sheepishly. "Actually, I do like hot dogs." He blushed under the narrowing eyes of the colonel, and mumbled. "Sorry."

To his surprise O'Neill didn't seem to be annoyed. "Daniel liked hot dogs. So I assumed..."

"I do. Like them." Daniel nibbled at a pizza crust. "I just... After we were at the book store, I kind of lost it a little."

"So I noticed," O'Neill muttered.

He didn't want to talk about it, but his mouth ran away with him. "There were so many books and I... I had some of them at home. And then I realized that... that I don't..." Unable to get out the words, Daniel put the pizza crust down and reached for the glass of sparkling water. He took a large gulp and the cool drink felt good as it ran down his throat.

O'Neill's eyes pierced him. "What?"

"I can't buy back everything I've lost," Daniel said finally when he put the glass down. "Everything... everything... is gone. I know I should've gotten used to it by now, but apparently I'm not."

He'd had these little moments of realization before, at the SGC. And yesterday when he had seen this Jack's house and known it wasn't his home.

His work, his books, his... life. Gone.

On the other end of the kitchen table, this Jack stared at him. "You and your Jack. You were friends, right? That's why you know the house so well."

Daniel picked up another piece of pizza, feeling numb again.

"Where... where'd you live in your..." The question came out falteringly, as if Jack was afraid to ask it. Then he answered it himself. "You lived here." The colonel's voice was flat and low.

He could only nod.

And as their eyes locked, Daniel could finally see the dawn of understanding in the face of the man.

And for the first time, belief.

"I'm sorry, kiddo," Jack said, still in that flat voice.

"Me too," Daniel murmured. "About your Daniel. You were friends too, right?"

"Yeah." The flicker of pain on O'Neill's face was only brief, but Daniel caught it.

They simultaneously pushed their plates aside and sat in the sun drenched kitchen, both caught in their own gloomy feelings.

Finally, O'Neill rose and carried the plates over to the counter and put them into the dishwasher. Daniel wondered if he could ask where this universe's Daniel had died and how. But that was probably one of those lines he wasn't allowed to cross. And he didn't know this Jack well enough yet, to sense when he could cross those lines without getting into trouble.

His own Jack had been different. Less tied up. More laid back, humorous, funny, goofy even. Okay, not with everyone and not all the time. But with Daniel. Especially since the downsizing. Jack had enjoyed being a dad again. Daniel had liked being Jack's son. They had been a perfect match. One had lost his kid, the other his parents. They had been able to heal each other, sort of. That's what Sam had called it. And Janet had actually wiped away a tear when Jack had announced he'd adopt Daniel. Jack had said he'd even retire if he had to. If that's what was required of him for being with Daniel and taking care of him. And while Daniel had muttered and protested he didn't need a care taker, he'd been oddly touched and happy at the thought of being Jack's kid.

The ringing of the phone pulled him out of his memories. O'Neill left the kitchen to answer it. On his way out he brushed past the fridge and a pile of letters tumbled to the floor, unnoticed by the colonel.

Daniel automatically picked them up. He was about to put them on the fridge again when his eye fell on the top envelope of the pile.

It was addressed to Mrs. Sara Coleshaw in Chicago.

"Daniel?" The colonel's voice carrying over from the other room made his hands jerk and the envelope fell to the floor once again. "It's the doc. She wants to talk to you."

"Coming," Daniel called as he picked up the letter and threw it back on the pile. He was already on his way out when he stopped again and hastily put the envelopes back on the fridge.

O'Neill handed him the phone and Daniel slowly crossed the living room. He looked around as he sat on the couch and talked to Janet. She didn't let him get a word in at first. She apologized for not being there when he left and wanted to know how he felt and if the colonel had finally taken him shopping. Daniel answered all her questions politely and smiled. Hearing her voice made him feel better. For a moment a very childish part in him imagined she would ask him to come to live with her and Cassie... but of course that didn't happen.

Instead she said, "The colonel suggested we should meet for dinner. How about you two come over around six?"

"That'd be nice," Daniel said.

"Good. What's your favorite dessert, Daniel?" She sounded cheerful, like she was really looking forward to seeing him.

"Anything with chocolate." Then he added, "But nothing fancy. Whatever you have will be fine."

"Chocolate, hmm? I should have known." She laughed.

When they had hung up, Daniel put the phone on the coffee table and slowly walked over to the fire place. There were USAF medals in a glass frame on the wall. But the baseball trophy his Jack had gotten for coaching Charlie's Little League in 1993 was missing.

He turned and looked at the half high wall parting the living room from the dining area. There was the baby picture of Charlie and the family picture of the O'Neill's... and another photo of a brown haired lanky boy who looked rather sullen.

Daniel crossed the room and took the picture in his hands, gazing at the chocolate brown eyes and the face looking so much like his dad. The boy was wearing a hockey shirt and a pair of skates were slung around his right shoulder.

"Put that back, please," O'Neill's voice came from the entryway.

Startled, Daniel almost dropped the framed photo. "Sorry," he mumbled and placed it back on the board. "I didn't mean to..."

"...be nosy. I got that."

Daniel noticed the colonel had changed while he had talked to Janet. He was now dressed in faded blue jeans and an old black sweatshirt. "I need to do some weeding. You can watch TV, if you like."

"Um... I could help," he offered uncertainly, expecting rejection.

O'Neill cocked his head and apparently thought about it for a moment. "What about your allergies? Our Daniel couldn't do garden work without getting all teary eyed and wheezy."

"Most of my allergies are actually gone, It was a side effect of the downsizing."

"Ah! Lucky you." Rising an eyebrow at him, the colonel motioned Daniel to follow. He took a last look at Charlie's picture and they went outside.

Even the garden was just like Jack's. There were the trees in the back and the lawn, the shed that doubled as a garage to the left and the wooden deck with chairs and table. And the grill. Daniel smiled at the fond memories of team dinners. And cremated steaks.

He followed this Jack to the shed to retrieve tools and garden gloves. Daniel spotted several young rosebushes and a lilac tree in little pots.

For the next two hours he followed the colonel around the garden, collecting the branches O'Neill cut off the trees, helped to plant flowers and pulled weeds in the front yard beds. It was warm and lush. Soon Daniel pulled off his sweater and worked only in his t-shirt.

They didn't talk much, but Daniel actually enjoyed himself. The Jack in his memories rolled his eyes, saying that was no wonder because, hey, Daniel loved digging in the dirt, right?

Daniel liked planting the rose bushes and the lilac. He got to dig the holes and water the plants while O'Neill made sure they were bedded right.

In between they took a break, drinking soda as they were sitting on the deck.

"I used to have a gardener doing this stuff," the colonel explained just when Daniel thought how his own Jack never had time to actually work in his garden. "But since I'm not going... away anymore, I like doing it myself."

"Colonel O'Neill?" Daniel licked his lips and took another swig of his soda. "That picture I was looking at earlier. Is that Charlie?" Of course he knew it had to be Charlie. But there was just no better way to start this conversation.

O'Neill stretched his legs and looked up at the sky, squinting in the sunlight. "Yeah."

"He plays hockey," Daniel observed, wiping his dirty hand at his jeans.

"He does."

Daniel's heart made a little thud. So this Charlie was still alive. And yet, this Jack and Sara were divorced. It seemed fate played mean with the Jack O'Neills in a lot of universes. Oh, and with the Daniel Jacksons as well.

"Do you... do you see him often?"

"You must be Daniel," O'Neill said dryly. "He never knew when to stop asking questions either." He stood and brushed some dust off his jeans. "Come on. We still have work to do."

They piled up the cut off wood and rotten leaves from the trees in the middle of the garden and Jack lit a fire. Daniel watched the sparks flying around and even though he had to rub his eyes because of the smoke, he stayed at the colonel's side as they silently watched the wood burn down.

"This was fun," Daniel said carefully, glancing at the tall man standing beside him. They were both dirty and sweaty. He looked down at himself and sighed. He was a lot more dirty than the colonel. Why was it that he got dirty so much more since he'd become a kid again? He didn't roll around in the mud or anything. Then again, maybe it wasn't that he got more dirt on his body. His Jack used to say there was not more dirt on Daniel. It only appeared to be more because Daniel's body was smaller now. The same amount of dirt on a grown up body would look like less dirt because it had more surface to settle on. Daniel had threatened to ask Sam if that was true, but of course he never had actually asked her. It had been one of Jack's jokes, nothing more.

"Thanks for the help," O'Neill said and actually smiled.

Hesitantly Daniel smiled back.

"I think we need a shower. Just go ahead. I'll wait till the fire is out. Use the front door and take off your shoes before you enter."

Daniel nodded and scooted off.

Showered and dressed in clean clothes, the two of them were on their way to Janet's. Daniel was a bit tired from the afternoon spent in the garden, but at least he was hungry, too.

He was also anxious. Would the colonel ask Janet about Daniel moving in with her? As much as he liked the idea, he was realistic enough to know it wasn't the solution. Janet worked a lot and Daniel remembered Cassie spending a lot of time at the school's daycare. In his own reality at least.

Speaking of Cassie... what if this Cassie didn't like him? What were they going to tell her about who he was anyway?

"Oh, about your cover story." the colonel said as if reading Daniel's thoughts. "Fraiser told Cassie you're staying with me while your parents are off world. Of course you're not supposed to know they're off world. So for you they're just on a mission somewhere."

_What?_ "That's... that's the cover story?"

"Yep. We decided to keep it as simple as possible for now."

"And you didn't think you should've mentioned that to me? So I can play along?" Daniel blurted out.

"I did mention it to you just now."

"Great," Daniel muttered.

The colonel shrugged. "There's not much to play along with. You're staying with me until they're back. That's it. She won't ask questions."

"Well, thanks for letting me know at all," Daniel said sourly.

He couldn't help himself. He wasn't used to having things decided over his head. Well, to be fair that wasn't exactly true. General Hammond and Jack had decided some things for him. But they'd always talked it through with him and took him seriously.

Here, Daniel not only seemed to be stripped of his life, but from his rights as well. Everyone just did with him as they pleased. He felt pushed around, almost like when he had been in foster care.

He bit his lip and glared out the window. They had just reached Janet's cape cod style house.

Another place he had known very well where he came from.

Janet greeted them with a warm smile and, without further ado, hugged Daniel as if she had known him forever. The living room had always reminded Daniel of the South. The apricot walls and the cream colored carpet gave the room a warm touch. Janet had a kilt draped over her couch and her mantelpiece was full of Cassie's school awards and other knick knacks.

It smelled nice, too.

Janet pointed out dinner would be ready soon. Then she looked him up and down and made a nice remark about his new clothes, but Daniel didn't think she was too pleased with his choices. He caught her giving the colonel a stern look, who in return shrugged and made a "What did I do?" face at her.

"Uncle Jack!"

Loud footsteps on the stairs announced the arrival of Cassandra and Daniel stood back and watched the oddly familiar ritual between Janet's daughter and Jack O'Neill.

She dashed in, followed by the dog, and threw herself at the man, who caught and hugged her. "Hey!" He grinned, giving her a playful head knuckle. "How ya doing little Missy?"

This Jack O'Neill obviously didn't have a problem with kids in general. He just didn't like him, Daniel observed. He was surprised at how much this realization stung.

The dog licked Daniel's hands and then joined Cassie in the happy reunion with "Uncle Jack".

"It's been so long since you came over, uncle Jack! I need to show you my new bike. Oh, and I got a new basketball, too. I got an A on my English test last month. Mom, can I go and shoot some hoops with uncle Jack?" The red haired twelve year old whirled around to look at her mom, then stopped short when her eyes fell on Daniel. Suddenly shy, she let go of the colonel and stuffed her hands into her jeans pockets. "Hi."

"Hi," Daniel said, realizing he was mirroring her pose. "I... um, I'm Daniel."

"Would you like to shoot some hoops?" She eyed him curiously. "I'll get the ball."

"Sure," Daniel mumbled. He didn't particulary like basketball, but he could play.

"Dinner will be ready soon. Don't leave the yard," Janet called after them.

Cassie ran upstairs to get her new ball and they met in the drive way where the basket hung above the garage door. "Uncle Jack taught me," Cassie explained. "And now I play at school. I made the team for the first time this year."

"Cool," Daniel said as they began to play.

Cassie scored a lot and Daniel didn't exactly try to beat her at first. But he was good at dribbling and what he couldn't make in scores, he compensated for by hogging the ball a lot. It was the second time today he found himself having fun and soon his awkwardness regarding Cassie melted away.

When they took a break, sitting on the wooden steps of the porch, Cassie brushed a strand of hair out of her flushed face and smiled at him. "Do you play at school?"

"Um, no. I'm not very good."

"You just need to train shooting hoops." She shrugged. "I can teach you, if you like. It's cool."

"Maybe," he said, not certain if he wanted to. He cast a glance at the house over his shoulder, wondering if he had enough time to ask her a few questions before Janet called them. "Do you see Colonel O'Neill often?"

"Used to. But not in a while." She blew at her bangs, which constantly seemed to fall back into her face. "Uncle Jack and a couple of other friends of my mom used to be like, you know, family. Then two of them... moved away. And it's not like that anymore. Aunty Sam still comes often. But Uncle Jack stays away most of the time."

"What happened?"

"Not sure. First uncle Daniel left and then uncle Murray a while later. You would've liked 'em. Uncle Murray was great at basketball. He was real big, like giant. And uncle Daniel used to play chess with me, like aunty Sam. And he helped with my history classes."

"You miss them a lot, right?" Daniel whispered and almost reached for her. But he quickly put his hands under his butt to sit on them instead. It might come across as a little odd to hug a girl he wasn't supposed to really know yet.

"Aunty Sam and mom miss them, too. I heard aunty Sam cry once when she was here and they thought I was in bed. And she's not big into crying if you know what I mean. She's a military brat. That's what she said once. I'm going to be like her when I'm big. I get straight A's in physics and math. When I finish high school I'm going to the military academy. Then I'll be smart and strong, just like her."

There was so much worship in the girl's voice, it made Daniel smile again. He wondered if this Sam knew how much she was loved.

**9**

Jack helped set the table in the kitchen while Janet checked on the casserole. From outside they could hear the "thump thump" of the basketball on the paved driveway.

"They're having fun," Janet said with satisfaction as she put the casserole on the table.

Jack was by the window, watching the children play in the fleeing daylight. "That's why I think he'd be much happier here."

With a deep sigh the doc turned to face him. "We've been through this, Colonel."

"Look, he lived with his Jack before. My house is full of memories for him. I don't think staying with me is going to help him cope," Jack tried.

"I can't take him. Not with my work schedule. You know Cassie stays at daycare after school and with my sister when I have to work at nights. Daniel isn't even in school yet. And I'm not sure he should go to a regular school. He's too smart. He'd be bored to death."

"There's a daycare center at Cheyenne mountain," Jack informed her. "They take older kids, too. Kawalsky's boys go there."

"Yes. But not in the mornings. Only after school. He has to stay somewhere the rest of the day. And the general clearly doesn't want Daniel on base," she objected.

Jack turned away from the window. "It's not fair to push him off on me," he said sharply. "To either of us."

She stirred the sauce some more. Dinner was done and ready. They could have called the kids five minutes ago, but Jack hadn't let go of the issue yet.

"You know I'd take him if I could." She shook her head sadly. "It's just not meant to be. Even temporarily, I just don't know how."

"Well, he can't stay with me, period," Jack huffed.

"Why not?" Turning around, spoon still in hand, she cocked her head and nailed him with her green-brown eyes. "You're great with kids. We both know it."

"I'm not. I happen to like Cassie. I don't like kids in general. And you know that."

"With all due respect, that's ridiculous."

"Yeah? Ask my kid. He'd give you a piece of his mind," Jack snarled.

"Oh please, Jack." She didn't call him by his first name often. Only when she was either touched or pissed about something. It wasn't hard to guess which was the case right now. "Your problems with Charlie are mostly based on your problems with your ex-wife. Whatever that may be. It's none of my business and I don't want to know. But just because you don't get along with your son doesn't mean you can't take care of Daniel for a few weeks."

"He's different." Jack pulled out the big guns. "He's Daniel. Yet, he's not. It's a little bit weird to say the least."

Her face softened and for a moment they silently finished the table, putting napkins and glasses next to the plates. "We all miss him. And we all miss Teal'c, too," she said finally. "Sam has a hard time under Makepeace's command. He's not exactly open minded."

"Makepeace's an ass," Jack bottom lined it. "But Carter chose to stay on the team so she has to live with it."

"That's neither fair, nor appropriate."

"I don't blame her. She did the right thing," Jack said curtly. "As usual."

Heaving a deep sigh Fraiser opened the kitchen window and called for the kids to come in.

"What are you doing? I wasn't done yet," Jack hissed.

"Well, I am. If you really have that many issues with the boy, talk to General Hammond," she said icily. "Otherwise I suggest you get your act together and try to give this Daniel a home."

"He needs real parents," Jack snapped, but stopped short when Cassie dashed in followed by a more composed Daniel.

"Go, wash you hands, kids," Janet ordered and the two of them moved out again, Cassie muttering under her breath.

"You remember our Daniel spent a lot of time at a boarding school because Nick was too busy to take care of him all year? If it's the same with this one, we have no right to force him to live with me and then push him away. He deserves a real family." Jack tried again to get through to the doc.

"You're very concerned about his well being all of a sudden," she sniped, keeping her voice low so the kids wouldn't hear them.

"I'm just trying to be realistic."

"You're just trying to chicken out, sir."

_She has grit,_ Jack thought with grudging affection for the small woman. She didn't let him intimidate her by his superiority in either rank, or size. Declaring defeat for now he sat down and scowled at his plate.

Cassie and Daniel seemed to be getting along swell. They were chattering away at each other about god knew what. Okay, Cassie did most of the chattering, but Daniel didn't seem to mind and for the first time Jack saw him smile a lot.

Actually this was the first time, Jack had seen Daniel relaxed and relatively content.

Daniel was polite, too. He praised the good food, forcing Jack to stop sulking and add his own thanks. The woman could cook. They had chicken with potato casserole on the side and it was superb.

She served chocolate ice cream for dessert and the kids both dug in.

So Fraiser could get the brat to eat twice as much as Jack had been able to force into him. Wasn't that another reason to let him stay with her? He'd probably starve to death otherwise. A mother, that's what this Daniel needed. Moms were way better to take care of kids than dads. They had this second sight where kids were concerned, they always knew what was right for them and how to comfort them.

While Cassie showed Daniel her room, the dog in tow, Fraiser poured Jack coffee.

"You should take Daniel shopping again, soon," she said with a disapproving little cluck of her tongue. "His new clothes look like he's going on a funeral. And I bet you didn't get him enough toys or anything."

_Oh, here we go... _

"He didn't want any toys. And the clothes were his choice."

"Let me guess. They're all plain or plaid. And what do you mean he didn't want any toys?" She frowned at him over the rim of her coffee mug. "What about books? DVDs? CDs?"

"It's not easy to get plaid clothes in his size," Jack grumbled. "And he just didn't want anything else." Then he perked up. "We got a book though."

"A book. As in ONE book?" The frown deepened dangerously.

"He's still in a kind of shock about what's happened to him. What do you want me to do? Beat him into buying toys? Force him to wear bright colored shirts with cartoon characters? He's not a baby. He can chose for himself. If that's what he wants, that's what he gets," Jack told her defensively. "I can always get him toys and stuff later, if he wants them. He needs a little more time to adjust."

To his irritation the frown vanished and was replaced by a smile. "You're right. You can always take him shopping again at a later point."

Jack glared at her and, when he realized what he just said, groaned.

This was SO not going to happen.

"I will help you wherever I can, Colonel," Fraiser said. "Just because Daniel lives with you doesn't mean you have to do this alone."

"This is a bad idea," Jack repeated with a sigh.

"I don't think so."

"Why don't you think so?" He really wanted to understand why everyone but himself seemed to think he could take care of the kid.

"Because he needs you. And you need to be needed."

"He needs his own Jack," O'Neill told her. "Not me."

"You're the only Jack O'Neill we have." She put her coffee mug down and leaned across the table. "I think something terrible happened in his own universe. Maybe his Jack is just as dead as our Daniel is."

_Crap._ "How'd you figure that?"

"I hadn't really thought of it until now. But when he came around after we found him, he asked what year it was. Then he wanted to know if it worked. Whatever 'it' was I didn't pay too much attention to it because he was in shock. But I think this Daniel wanted to go back in time for some reason."

"And the sphere made him switch universes instead," Jack said. It would make horrible sense.

"Yes. He refused to talk about his reasons for touching the sphere later. But those were the first things he indicated."

"Now hold on a minute... that doesn't mean his Jack has to be dead. And maybe he was just playing around with forbidden toys. After all this is Daniel we're talking about. Curiosity killed the cat and all that."

She shook her head slowly. "He asked us to believe he was Daniel. Later he was very upset when he found out he was in another reality. That's when he asked about the mirror."

"Did you report that to Hammond?"

"I did. But I put it down to the shock and disorientation after a trauma. And he often talks about his Jack in past tense."

"And no one asked him about it again?"

"All he kept saying was that he came here by accident because he touched the sphere."

Rubbing a hand over the back of his neck, Jack gave a weary sigh. "All right. I'll see what I can find out. It still doesn't mean I'm... that other me... is dead."

"Why else would they send a kid on a mission like that if not because something terrible has happened where he came from? Maybe they're all dead."

"I don't think he was on a mission. I think he got into trouble all on his own." It was something Jack was certain about by now. He remembered his Daniel's tendency to touch and figure out how things worked. Out of curiosity. And because Daniel had been an archaeologist. His work had included touching and handling the doohickeys they came across on their journeys through the gate. Whether Jack liked it or not.

"I don't know. Fact is, he needs you."

Jack exhaled a deep breath and reached for his coffee mug, wishing it was something stronger. Whiskey maybe. He could use a strong drink right now.

They were quiet on their way home, but Daniel just seemed to be tired from all the outside activities and fresh air. To Jack's relief he went to bed shortly after their arrival. He waited until he could be sure the kid was asleep before he retrieved a glass and a bottle of whiskey from his cabinet in the dining room. He left the house through the back door and climbed up to his roof.

Settled in one of the two chairs, Jack poured himself a drink and leaned back to gaze at the stars. It had cooled off, but not enough to be uncomfortable. He watched the cloudless sky and lifted the glass in a silent toast before he took the first sip.

"So, Daniel," he whispered to the ghost of his dead friend. "What am I gonna do with that kid?" He cocked his head as if he was really expecting an answer. But all he heard was the low breeze in the trees.


	3. Chapter 3 Memories

**Twisted Fate **

**Memories**

**1**

Daniel dipped his piece of pancake into the syrup and enjoyed the sweet taste. The kitchen was filled with the smell of pancakes and fresh coffee.

It was almost like home.

The colonel finished his own pancake, which was as drowned in syrup as Daniel's, and put his fork down. "I take it that's way better than Fruit Loops, huh?"

"Oh yes. It's great," Daniel replied after swallowing his mouthful. "Thank you."

"That's okay. We didn't have much else in the house yesterday, but now that fridge and pantry are stocked up it shouldn't be a problem to find something you like."

"So I'm staying with you?" He didn't dare to look at the colonel's face, convinced he'd see a flicker of annoyance in the brown eyes. O'Neill might have served him pancakes and even asked how he slept. But he surely hadn't change his mind about Daniel's presence here over night.

"For the moment, yes."

Daniel sensed the uncomfortable tinge in O'Neill's voice.

He drew vertical lines through a splotch of syrup with his fork and watched as the sticky mass parted before the small gaps slowly closed again. Was that how the sphere had worked? Did it open a small gap in the continuum and then closed immediately once he was through?

"I'm sorry. I know you'd rather stay with the doc."

"I know it's not going to happen." Daniel looked up. "I'll try not to bother you too much."

"Look, I know we didn't have a great start. But it's okay, really," O'Neill said, sounding and looking like he was sucking on a lemon trying to pretend it was candy. "We'll get along."

Daniel drank his coffee and wondered what he was supposed to do all day long. Read his one and only book? Sit in his room? Watch TV? There were only so many things he could do to stay out of O'Neill's hair. He should have bought toys, CDs and books. Now he was stuck here with nothing to occupy himself and the colonel wasn't going to take him shopping again. He had made that very clear.

Then Daniel remembered how they had worked in the yard yesterday. "I could do work around here. Like, I don't know, washing your truck? Mowing the lawn?"

"I don't think so," O'Neill said dryly. "I really don't want you to mow off some toes or worse."

_Oh, please,_ Daniel thought. In a way this Jack was as bad as his own had been. If only because he didn't want Daniel bleeding on his deck or go through all the trouble of driving him to the ER. Besides, he wasn't THAT accident prone, was he?

"So what can I do?" Daniel asked.

"Well you could put away the dishes and start the washer for starters. And then, I don't know. I need to do some work at my office," O'Neill replied as he stood. "The Electrasol tabs are in the cupboard..."

"Under the sink, I know."

"Yeah." The colonel gave him an awkward look and scratched his chin. "I keep forgetting you know this place so well. Listen, I'd appreciate it if you didn't..."

"Snoop around? Go into your office or bedroom? Open closets? Stick my nose into your business?"

"I know you lived here in your own reality. But I'm not used to someone living with me, so..." He threw up his hands in a helpless gesture. "Anyway, I'll be in my office in case you need something. You can watch TV if you like."

"I get it." Daniel made himself busy with clearing the table. "I'll mind my own business and stay out of your personal space."

The colonel gave a curt nod in return and left the kitchen.

Daniel put the dishes into the washer. He found the tabs and turned the machine on, wiped the counters and put the syrup back on its shelf.

When he was done he wandered down to the living room and switched on the TV. But it was sunny outside and the brightness of the day made it hard to see anything on the screen. Daniel could've closed the curtains, but he turned off the TV and left the house through the door leading out to the deck.

He considered climbing up the roof, but decided against it. He turned right and walked through the back yard, passing the ladder leading to the roof plattform and the door to the kitchen. Taking a right turn again he soon found himself in the drive way. The truck was parked in front of the garage, its black hood sparkling in the sunlight.

The lawn didn't need mowing and the truck definitely didn't need washing.

Daniel was about to go back inside when he spotted the basket over the garage door. "Hel-lo," he mumbled. The basket looked old, the frame battered. There was nothing spectacular about it, but it was something Daniel's Jack didn't have.

He wondered if Charlie came to visit sometimes and then played ball with his dad. Maybe it was here where the colonel had taught Cassie how to play. Now, if this Jack had a ball...

He pushed that thought aside. This Jack wouldn't want to teach him how to shoot hoops. And basketball had never been one of Daniel's hobbies. It was okay to play from time to time, but nothing he was eager to do.

_It would be better than dieing of boredom though_, he thought as he traipsed back into the yard and entered the house through the glass door leading into the living room.

Settling on the couch he spotted the chess board on the coffee table and made a move. He found the newspaper and flipped through it, but lost interest fast at the same old news he'd read at home. The president was the same here and he even found a picture of Senator Kinsey in the political section of the papers.

Reluctantly he went to his room and began to put his new clothes into the empty closet.

He wondered what the colonel was doing. Daniel's Jack had only spent time in his office if he had bills to pay or other boring things to do. Things Daniel didn't have to take care of anymore in his new life. Which he actually was grateful for. Like taxes, paying bills, and filling out forms for insurances.

Daniel wished he had his laptop and Internet access so he could surf the net for a while.

If the colonel would let him use his computer he could order some books online. That way they wouldn't have to go back to the mall. O'Neill had said the Air Force would pay for whatever Daniel wanted. He couldn't object to a little online shopping, right? Daniel could take his time looking and think about what he wanted without feeling rushed.

He'd only have to ask.

Which meant he'd have to go to the colonel's office and risk getting snapped at for bothering him.

_So what,_ Daniel thought as he left his room_. _When had he ever let himself be intimidated by a grumpy Jack O'Neill.

Then why was he so nervous as he knocked at the closed office door a moment later?

The angry "What?!" coming from inside wasn't exactly encouraging either.

But he made himself as tall as possible and pushed the door open. "Sorry to bother you, but..."

"Not now! Go find something to do, will ya?"

Daniel sensed it was better to back off and try his luck later. But instead of closing the door again he edged a little closer to where the colonel was sitting at his desk, sending thunderous glares at his computer screen.

"What... what's wrong?" Daniel asked.

"The f... the computer won't let me install the Internet, that's what's wrong." Jack waved at the screen. "Why do they always say it's the easiest thing in the world to install stuff and when you try it, it's like a completely different language! I'll never understand how people deal with crap like this and not go suicidal!"

Daniel tip toed forward until he was standing behind O'Neill and glanced over his shoulder. "You're trying to install Explorer 4.0."

"I'm stressing the word _trying_ here," O'Neill growled.

"What seems to be the problem?"

"The problem seems to be that it tells me the installation failed. I followed their idiot-proof instructions step by step and it doesn't work."

Daniel looked at the screen. The setup displayed a red X next to all the items on the open install list. "Um, maybe you used up all your disc space?" he suggested.

"I tried to make space first," Jack said. "It's still not working."

"Ok, then... did you try rebooting?"

"Three times."

"Oh, good. Uh... you might have to delete the folder with the installation files and download them again."

O'Neill turned and looked at him with narrowed eyes. "You think that'll do the trick?"

"It might. If not, you could always try to download another version of explorer. Are you sure your computer has all the necessary hardware for installing explorer?"

"Yep. Carter zapped the thing together for me the first time. Now it's yammering at me to update. I thought if I downloaded it, it'd stop pestering me," he huffed. "So I delete the whole thing and start from scratch?"

"Orrr...," Daniel mumbled, "you could call Sam?"

"Oh, that might not be such a good idea," O'Neill drawled.

"Why not?" Daniel asked absently as he watched Jack searching for the right folder to delete.

"We're not exactly seeing eye to eye at the moment... Here. That's it, right?"

"Yes. What's wrong with Sam?"

"Nothing. She's fine. She just didn't approve of some of my command decisions. And she's right about it. Besides, calling her would mean admitting how dense I really am. This," he gestured at his computer again, "is supposed to be easy, right?"

"Waitwaitwait," Daniel yelled just when the colonel was about to delete the folder.

Jerking his hands off the keyboard as if burned, O'Neill yelled back, "What?!"

"I... I'm not sure... is that the right folder?"

"You said so!"

"But isn't it supposed to be on Drive C? And you should open it to make sure it really is the one you want to delete." Daniel nervously rubbed his thumb with his forefinger, a habit he could never get rid off. Just like the lip biting or the self hugging. "Can I... can I look at it?"

O'Neill reluctantly made space for Daniel. "Be my guest."

He opened the folder and looked at the contents. "I think you accidentally deleted a few files in here when you tried to clean up your harddrive to have enough space."

"Yeah, whatever. What now?"

Daniel deleted the folder, opened the Internet and, with a few clicks, initiated the download of the installation files again. He felt O'Neill's eyes piercing him as he worked. "If this doesn't work..." Daniel mumbled,

"Daniel? If this doesn't work and you screwed up my computer..."

"It'll work, it'll work," he hastened to say, licking his lips. When he had clicked through all the steps and got the message the system was configured, he let out a relieved breath. "It worked."

O'Neill gazed at the screen. "It did? Sweet."

"It's now copying all your files and that's it."

"Where'd you learn how to do this?" O'Neill asked, looking at Daniel with new interest.

"Sam... my Sam... taught me about computers. When I was still big."

"So your Carter's the miracle worker too there."

"Yes. She's really cool. Our SG-1 couldn't have saved the world quite as much without her," Daniel said, pride lacing his voice.

To his surprise O'Neill smiled at that. "You betcha. She's something else, that Major Carter."

"She was captain in my reality. But she was still way smarter than you are." Daniel froze at his slip and mentally gave himself a thump over the head. This wasn't exactly the way to score brownie points.

If he wanted to use the man's computer, he should have come up with something nice to say.

But O'Neill just snorted and stood. Suddenly Daniel felt a large warm hand on his shoulder as he was steered towards the door. "How about some ice cream, brat?"

"Could you please stop calling me brat?" Daniel didn't want this to become his new nickname. It was annoying. Worse than book-boy or plant-boy. The hand on his shoulder felt good though.

Ignoring his question, the colonel closed the door behind them and took his hand from Daniel's shoulder. "I think I bought cookie dough ice cream yesterday."

They were sitting outside in the midday sun, eating their Ben and Jerry's, when O'Neill asked Daniel what he had wanted from him in the first place.

Thinking now or never, he cleared his throat. "I was wondering if you would allow me to use your computer."

"What for?"

"You said the Air Force will pay for anything I want..."

"...within reason."

"Of course. I thought I could order some books online." Daniel ate more of the ice cream and proceeded to lick his spoon clean.

"I'll think about it," O'Neill said noncommittally.

"Okay," Daniel mumbled, not sure what that meant. "Thanks for the ice cream, Colonel."

"You're welcome. And you can lose the colonel."

"What?"

"Call me Jack."

"Oh. Okay. Jack." Daniel resisted the urge to thank him for that, but to his embarrassment he blushed and had to lower his head to hide a huge smile. It had been too awkward having to call Jack by his rank and last name.

"Tell me about your reality," O'Neill... Jack... said out of the blue.

Daniel blinked. "Until yesterday you didn't even believe it was true."

"I do now. I wanna hear all about it. If you're going to live here for a while we should get to know each other a little better, don'tcha think?"

This sounded so much like his own Jack, it took Daniel's breath away for a moment. "I guess," he said finally. "It's actually a lot like yours. We have the same politicians as far as I can tell. The SGC is the same. We have General Hammond and Walter. And Siler."

"Does he carry a huge wrench around there, too?" Jack asked affectionately.

"Oh yeah. It's really BIG." Daniel giggled, then sobered up and continued, "Um, Janet is there. And Cassie."

"And they're all," Jack waggled his eyebrows, "just like ours?"

"Yeah. Sort of."

"C'mon. There have to be differences. Hockey teams? TV shows? Anything?"

"We have the Simpsons and Indy. And Sponge Bob. So I guess that's all the same. I don't know 'bout hockey teams though."

"Of course you wouldn't." Now Jack sounded actually amused.

Daniel scraped his spoon over the bottom of his empty ice cream bowl. "Can I ask you stuff, too? I'll try not to be too..."

"Nosy?"

"Ah-huh."

"I guess it's only fair. So ask away," Jack said with a weary smile.

Daniel decided he liked the man way better, now that he wasn't so cranky "Did you go to Abydos and kill Ra?"

"Oy. You start with the big guns right away. You know that's classified stuff."

"But aren't those the differences you really want to know about?" Daniel was a kid again, but he wasn't stupid.

Their eyes locked for a moment and finally it was the colonel who turned his head away, blinking. "Let's go inside."

They went into the house where Jack put away the ice cream bowls and settled on the couch while Daniel sat in the recliner.

"To answer your question, yep. We went to Abydos and killed Ra. Our Daniel, Kawalsky, Feretti and a couple more guys," Jack said, eying his chess board.

"And... and... what about Sha're?"

Jack gazed at him, shadows in his brown eyes, but he didn't reply. Instead he asked, "What about yours?"

"Mine was taken," Daniel said quietly. "A year after our Jack left me on Abydos. When he came back to tell us about Apophis's attack on Earth." Suddenly realizing he wasn't supposed to remember this, he spluttered. "That's what they told me. After the downsizing."

But if the colonel picked up on the slip, he didn't react to it. He just nodded, his eyes still settled on Daniel. "Same here. What about your SG-1?"

"SG-1 had Jack as the leader, Sam, Teal'c and me. When I was still... taller," Daniel said carefully.

"What happened?"

"I got shrunk."

"I got that much. What about the rest of them?"

"Oh, at first they were looking for a fourth. They tried several replacements for me. Even Robert Rothman."

Jack snorted. "Rothman?!"

"He's a good man. Just very... focused," Daniel defended his friend.

"Sorry," the colonel offered, but Daniel could see the humorous twinkle in the other man's eyes. He wasn't sure if he should feel offended on behalf of Robert or not. Jack O'Neill and Robert Rothman seemed to be a bad mix in either universe.

"They never really found anyone Jack liked."

The amusement drained from the colonel's face and he gave a knowing nod.

Daniel continued, "So they went without a civilian consultant until..." There he stopped. What was he going to say? There was no point in not telling this Jack the truth. Actually there had been no point in hiding the truth about Daniel's SG-1. When they had asked him at the SGC about his own reality he had only told them what was necessary. That there was an SG-1. That, as far as he could tell, the chain of command at his SGC had been the same with the exception of his Sam being a captain and his Jack never being grounded from gate travel. He didn't feel like talking about Jack's death. It hurt too much.

O'Neill's eyebrow rose. "Until?"

Daniel just shrugged. "Until they finally stopped looking."

Up came the finger, waving at him. "Aht! That's not what you were gonna say."

Daniel gazed down at his knees. "Sure it was."

But somehow he knew it was time to talk about it. Swallowing, he tried to ignore the feeling of ice cubes lying in the pit of his stomach.

There was no answer from the couch and when Daniel had inspected his fingernails and looked for non existent threads on the seam of his new jeans, he heard a low thumping sound and Jack's quiet voice."You're threatening my king."

Daniel's head shot up and he stared at the chess board, remembering the move he had made earlier today. He observed what the colonel had done now. "You put your knight there to defend your king." He pouted, realizing he hadn't seen this coming.

"Oh yeah. So what'cha gonna do?"

"Not sure. I have to think it through." Daniel rose from the recliner and came to stand at the coffee table. He let his eyes flicker over the figures. Tentatively he reached out and moved Jack's bishop.

"Ya think that'll save you?"

"Maybe."

He returned to his recliner and waited for Jack to make his move, but it never happened. Instead the colonel asked casually, "Did they ever try to make you big again? Asked the Asgard? Tok'ra? Anyone?"

"Yes. They couldn't."

"What about the people who shrunk you in the first place?"

"They couldn't reverse it." Daniel shrugged. "Janet and Sam analyzed the drink they gave me. They tried to find an antidote but couldn't. But they thought there was a possibility of re-sizeing me in a sarcophagus."

Now that got O'Neill's attention. His head snapped up and his eyes widened. "Whoa! A sarcophagus? It only heals. I don't think it makes you grow."

"Sam and Janet talked to Narim. Of the Tolians. He suggested it might be possible to re-program a sarcophagus so it'd reverse the shrinking process to let me grow up again."

"How?"

"I'm not sure. He said he'd help. He and our Sam had a thing going. I mean he had a crush on her."

"I know." O'Neill grimaced. "Big honkin' crush. Only our Narim would never let that get in the way of the loyalty to his people. They don't share."

"Um, SG-1 helped the Tolians out some times and he said it'd be a re-payment. They weren't sharing technology with us. We were providing the sarcophagus. And they offered to re-programm it and fix me. That was the plan," Daniel said, trying not to fidget.

"Where'd you get a sarcophagus from?"

"They kept looking for one. One day SG-6 came home and informed us they'd found one. According to our intel the Goa'uld was a meaningless system lord with only a minimum of Jaffa and servants. So we contacted Narim and he brought a suitcase with tools and that thing you can go through walls with..."

"Cool," Jack said.

"...and they took me with them. Narim said the re-programming would take only a couple of minutes, not longer. It was my first off world mission since my downsizing." Daniel began kneading his fingers to keep his hands busy.

He closed his eyes for a moment to brace himself for the memories flooding his mind like a poisoned ocean. The ice cubes in the pit of his stomach grew even colder.

"What happened?" Jack O'Neill's voice seemed to come from far away and Daniel almost didn't hear it over the noises only existing in his mind.

_The flash of the fired staff weapons, the sickening smell of burned flesh and blood, the yells and the smoke, Jack going down... _

"We were ambushed," Daniel whispered. "There weren't many Jaffa, but they guarded the gate room. And they were fast. They took us the moment we came through."

Out of nowhere there was a hand on Daniel's neck, squeezing gently. When he looked up, Jack was crouched next to the recliner.

"I'm fine," he murmured, suddenly embarrassed.

"It's okay. You don't have to tell me. It's okay," Jack said gently, his hand rubbing Daniel's neck and then settling on his shoulder.

But now that he had started Daniel forced himself to continue, "The name of the system lord was an underling of Hathor. He took us away from the planet. To PX3-247."

The hand on his shoulder tightened painfully, then it was gone. "What?"

"Hathor's planet. That's what they called it in the briefings later. Teal'c said it should be named the planet of Hathor's death."

"Crap," O'Neill hissed.

"Jack killed her," Daniel said numbly. "Sam told me."

"And then this son of a bitch killed Daniel."

"Trofsky killed Jack," Daniel ground out, his throat suddenly too tight to breathe properly.

The man and the boy locked eyes again, recognizing the pain in each other. "He was my family," Daniel whispered. "Sam and Teal'c were, too. But Jack was..." He shook his head. "We were best friends. Always."

"Yeah, I know."

**2**

So Fraiser had been right. This Daniel's Jack was dead. Killed by the same snake head who had murdered his own Daniel. How was that for a coincidence? A shiver ran down Jack's spine. He'd dealt with a robot-O'Neill and his robot-SG-1 created by that weird little guy Harlan. It had been awkward to say the least and yet, when the robots had died on Juna after fighting side by side with the 'real' SG-1 against Cronus, Jack had felt a grudgingly pang of regret and pity for the other guy who had looked and acted exactly like him.

It wasn't an experience he was keen on re-living in any way. Not even in his imagination. He refused to think of the other Jack – the _dead _Jack – as himself. There was no connection to this other O'Neill. Jack hadn't asked for this, he had enough problems of his own and part of him was still trying not to get sucked into the roller coaster of emotions the kid's grief threatened to throw him on.

But it was too late. He couldn't ignore Daniel's sorrow. It was like staring into a mirror, seeing his own agony in the face of this sad forlorn boy.

Daniel shuddered and took a deep breath. "I..." he began, but whatever he wanted to say, he couldn't get the words out.

"I know," Jack repeated softly. He was still crouched next to the recliner. Daniel had curled up, arms around his knees. But his eyes, swimming blue orbs, were still focused on Jack.

"It will get better." Daniel's voice was trembling, but he wasn't crying. "I remember that from when my parents died. And Sha're. One day it'll stop hurting so much."

Jack swallowed around the lump in his throat. "Yeah. One day." He reached out and gently cupped the small white face. Daniel slowly closed his eyes, then turned his head away as if Jack touching him was making it worse. And maybe it was. He couldn't replace what the kid had lost.

Without warning his own grief hit him full force, clawing and clutching at his gut. A feeling he'd been fighting, or channeling into rage, ever since he had watched Trofsky kill Daniel.

Jack couldn't give in to it. He'd been keeping his feelings at bay for so long. He'd have to get over it. Daniel was gone. Had reached the point of no return. Was hopefully in a better place now. Geek heaven or something. At least Jack hoped Daniel had reached some kind of afterlife or happy place.

And unlike how it used to be in Sci-fi, nothing was ever going to change that. No matter how many realities, universes or whatever they were called, existed. No matter how many other Daniel Jacksons there were. It didn't change anything. Because none of them were Jack's.

Yet, he sensed an echo of their friendship, like a fragile connection. This little guy had lost his Jack at the same time and place as Jack had lost his Daniel. Some freaking twist of fate had dropped mini Daniel on his front step and Jack had let down his guard just long enough for the kid to get to him.

So Daniel.

"I'm sorry," Daniel's quiet young voice pulled Jack out of his musings. "This is really a mess. And it's all my fault."

"No, it's not," Jack said, gently squeezing the skinny shoulder again. "None of it is. They ambushed us, too. Trofsky snatched us away and tried to make us believe we'd been asleep in deep freeze for a long time."

"The fake SGC," Daniel mumbled.

"And just when the cavalry came through Trofsky shot Daniel."

"Jack tried to get to me. I was sitting at the gate with the other prisoners," Daniel recalled. "And when I saw him coming, I left my position and everything got scrambled and then Jack was hit when Trofsky got his hands on a staff."

"It's not your fault, Daniel."

But the kid shook his head. "It's my fault I'm here now. I wasn't supposed to touch the sphere. But I heard it was a time traveling device and I wanted...I wanted to warn my Jack not to go on that mission."

Jack almost smiled at this confession. So he'd been right and the kid had been playing with toys he wasn't supposed to play with. "And all went terribly wrong," he guessed.

Daniel hung his head. "Yes."

"What about your Carter and Teal'c? Did they survive Hathor's little play?"

"Everyone but Jack did. I was living with Teal'c on base until I... left." When Daniel looked at Jack again, a lonely tear trickled down his cheek. "They'll worry. They'll try to find me. And I can't even tell them how sorry I am or that I'm fine. I hurt them so much."

O'Neill couldn't take this guilt from the kid, no matter what he said or did. He knew Daniel would have to live with it unless there was a way to send him home after all.

Aware he might spark some false hope here, he said, "Maybe they'll figure something out. Get the sphere to work again and find you. They'll try."

But Carter's words were ringing in his ears...

_The theory is that we all live in a multiverse where a near-infinite number of universes, or realities exist._

"How'd they know they found the right one?" Daniel verbalized Jack's worries. "They could go on and on forever, trying to find me."

He didn't know how to answer that one and they fell silent for a while until Jack couldn't ignore his cramped legs any longer. He used the arm rest of the recliner to pull himself up and swallowed the groan as his knees protested the sudden movement.

Daniel watched him. "Do you have bad knees, too?"

"Just a twinge here and there." Jack shrugged it off. He was feeling numb and needed some alone time. Thinking about something to do for the kid to distract him from his troubles, he finally came up with an idea. "C'mon. Let's see if we find some books for you to buy."

To Jack's relief, Daniel perked up immediately. "Really? That'd be great, thanks." He was probably grateful for the change of subject, too.

Jack stayed with Daniel for a while as he browsed Amazon to make sure the kid was okay. But after a few minutes the youngster was engrossed in his search for books, DVDs and CDs so he left, letting Daniel know he'd be up on the roof for a while.

"When you have everything together, I'll log myself in so I can pay for it," Jack said.

He received a nod before Daniel focused on the screen again.

It was very warm up there and Jack wished he'd brought his sunglasses. He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes against the afternoon sun.

What a mess.

He knew he had to do something. Be supportive. What the kid had gone through couldn't be mended with a pat on the head and a shopping trip at Amazon. But how was he supposed to help Daniel if he wasn't able to help himself? And again, a small nasty voice complained he wasn't responsible for the kid's problems. There were people at the SGC, shrinks, who should take care of this Daniel.

_He needs you_, adult Daniel made himself heard again.

"I can't fix this for him," Jack said wearily. Nobody could. Only time was going to heal the wounds. The kid knew that, too.

_You can try._

"How?"

_By being his friend for starters. Talk to him. Be there. It'll be enough._

"I haven't been anyone's friend in a very long time. I'm not a nice guy," Jack muttered. "You should know that." Realizing he was talking out loud, he shook his head and silently added. _And to refresh your memory – people who rely on me end up dead. Look at yourself. _

_You didn't kill me. And Teal'c followed you out of free will._

_Get out of my head, Daniel._

But apparently Jack's imagination of his Daniel had made himself comfortable in a corner of his mind and wasn't going to leave just like that. _This may come as a shock to you, Jack, but you need him, too. _

_I don't need anyone, period. I never did. Shut up._

Daniel didn't reply to that, but Jack felt a door open in his mind and before he could slam it shut again, the vivid memory of his best friend in that dark storage room haunted him once more.

_What the hell..._

He didn't want to remember this.

_But it's important you do, _Daniel murmured from his cozy little corner in Jack's head.

_Why?_

No reply this time.

Burying his face in his hands Jack tried to shake off the image of Daniel's haunted face, the bloodshot, wild eyes and the weapon in his trembling hands as he'd tried to shoot Jack in his haze. It hadn't been a pretty sight. Jack remembered how he had held him, rocked him, like a parent would soothe a child waking up from a nightmare. Seeing Daniel that weak and vulnerable had been disturbing, but painfully familiar.

It didn't matter whether the drug was human made or created by aliens. The outcome was universal. It stripped its victims down, leaving them naked, robbed of dignity and personality.

Daniel had been a lot of things; compassionate, irritating, brilliant, sometimes arrogant in his belief that his solutions and ideas were better than Jack's military mindset. At the same time he seemed to always neglect his own needs and had thought of himself as replaceable, which he wasn't. Daniel had been all of those things and more – but never had he been weak, or broken.

Yet, Daniel had made Jack feel needed. He had always turned to Jack first if he ever admitted he needed help. When Daniel had woken up in the infirmary it had been Jack sitting at his bed and when Daniel had needed someone to talk to, it had been Jack he sought out, whether Jack had liked it or not.

It hadn't been until Daniel's withdrawal from the sarc ophagus though, that Jack had realized how much he, too, needed Daniel as his friend. How strong their friendship really had been...

_...Jack visited Daniel in the infirmary that same night after he had broken down in the storage room. He was calm now, hooked to an IV with fluids and probably something to keep him grounded for the time being._

_Jack brought some books the archaeologist had requested. Daniel couldn't meet his eyes and Jack looked at the ceiling, the wall, the bed... to not crowd the archaeologist. But finally Daniel asked the question._

"_What did you mean when you said you knew what I was going through?"_

I know what this is. I know what it's like. You can get through it… _His words to Daniel in that storage room. Jack wished he'd never said them, but he had. And maybe it was what had pulled Daniel out of his delirium_ _long enough to let Jack get close to him._

"_Been there, done that, got the t-shirt," Jack replied, voice flippant._

_Daniel looked at him then, his eyes clouded and exhausted from the aftermath of the withdrawal symptoms. "Tell me."_

"_Come home with me," Jack said._

_Daniel wrinkled his eyebrows. "What?"_

"_When they let you outta here. Come home with me."_

"_Why?"_

"_Because you'll need someone to hang out with. It'll haunt you for a while."_

"_It's not as if I'm going to have a relapse. Backslide, whatever. There's no sarcophagus I could run to."_

"_No. But it won't stop you from wanting one."_

_Daniel picked at a thread in his blanket, his head lowered. "I just flushed my future at the SGC down the toilet."_

"_No. Not if you get with the program and work through it."_

"_Is that what you did?" _

"_Oh, yeah. Cold turkey, therapy, the whole shebang."_

"_Wow."_

"_Yeah. And I'm still here."_

"_Why is it you always take me home like a stray kitten?" Daniel asked, the shadow of a smile tugging at his lips. _

"_Hey, I'm a dog person. But I guess you grew on me." Jack was relieved about the smile._

_Daniel came home with Jack and Jack helped him through his rants, gave him space to brood or pace or crawl up the walls those first few weeks. The physical withdrawal was over soon, but the mental addiction was a harder nut to crack. Then there was the guilt. Always on a guilt trip, his Daniel._

"_What if I'd let her jump, Jack?" Daniel asked one afternoon when they were playing chess."Shyla. What if I hadn't saved her?"_

"_C'mon. If you'd let the bitch jump off that cliff their Jaffa would've made us responsible for her death. It was a no win situation. At least she was grateful you saved her. Sorta."_

"_Shyla was using me and I let her. While you, Sam and Teal'c were slowly working yourselves to death in that prison." Daniel didn't look at Jack, but his mouth was a thin hard line. _

_Jack couldn't tell Daniel he hadn't been mad, because they both knew it'd be a lie. He'd been ready to wipe that superior grin from Daniel's 'look-no-glasses' face. But they'd all had their share of screw ups out there, so who was he to dwell or judge? "Nobody's perfect," he said, frowning as Daniel set him check mate. "You're getting very close though. You cheated." _

"_Sorry. I didn't."_

"_Did."_

"_I didn't. You have to pay attention to the game."_

"_Did too."_

_Daniel grabbed some peanuts from the bowl next to him and threw them at Jack. It was one of his better days._

_He had bad days, too. And worse days._

_Sometimes Daniel was restless and moody. He didn't know what to do with his hands and then became euphoric and confident again until his mood switched around once more. _

_Jack had been there, oh yeah. He had never talked about his close and personal encounter with morphine to anyone but the therapist he'd been forced to see at that time. _

_But this was Daniel and Daniel held the key to Jack's soul. Because right from the start Daniel had ignored the high walls the colonel had built around himself ever since he had come back from Iraq. Had walked right through them like they were non-existent._

_One night Daniel was particularly restless and paced the house, deprived of sleep by the strong need for a drug that was out of reach, Jack, being a light sleeper, heard him puttering around in the kitchen. _

_Daniel was making coffee when Jack joined him, dressed in sweat pants and an old t-shirt. He raised his eyebrows at the coffee maker. Daniel gave him an aggressive one shoulder shrug. "I can't sleep. I won't sleep any better if I drink warm milk. So don't even start."_

"_Wasn't gonna say anything," Jack said. "You're a free man."_

"_What's that supposed to mean?" Daniel's eyes narrowed dangerously._

"_It means if you want coffee, you can have coffee. Fraiser said no alcohol, but she didn't say anything about coffee, right?"_

"_No, she didn't." Daniel opened a cupboard and took out a cup. _

"_Mind if I have some?""_

_Silently Daniel handed Jack a mug and they settled at the table in the dark kitchen. Wrapping his long fingers around the cup, Daniel gazed at the table. "How does drinking alcohol make this any worse? It's not like I'm going to trade one addiction for another," he said sharply._

"_It probably won't make it worse. But it won't make it better either," Jack said. "Why? You want a beer? You're not big into beer."_

"_I don't want a beer," Daniel snapped, pushing his cup away without taking a sip. He bolted from his chair and started pacing the kitchen, arms tightly wrapped around himself. "It's driving me nuts," he ground out. "How long has it been? Two weeks? I need to work. I need to get a grip on this. SG-1 is on stand-down because of me. It's ridiculous."_

"_It takes as long as it takes," Jack said, drinking his coffee. "And you're working. You're just not ready to go through the gate again. Yet."_

"_Yeah, but that's what we're supposed to do last time I checked," Daniel huffed. "This has to stop. It's interfering with everything."_

"_You're still talking to MacKenzie, right? How's that going." _

_Daniel rarely, if ever, talked about his sessions with the SGC's psychologist. _

"_He can't help me. He can't stop this... this... wanting. I felt so much better. No glasses. Everything was so clear. There was nothing I couldn't do. Except I stopped being a human being. And I almost killed my friends. But still I keep wanting it."_

"_It'll pass," Jack said._

"_Janet said there's still a trace of the chemical reaction in my blood. She's sure the want will stop once my body has eliminated it." Daniel sounded bitter. "I'm not sure she's right. It's taking too long."_

"_It's not," Jack said. "It just feels that way. Took me months to get over the urge to rob a hospital or a pharmacy to get a morphine shot. It's like a monkey sitting on your shoulder, clinging to you. Hard to shake off. But that sarc thing is different. It'll be out of your system soon."_

_Daniel stopped his restless wandering and sat down again. _

_Jack had given him something to focus on, which was good. But he knew he'd pay the price for it when his friend said, "Tell me about it?"_

_And so Jack told him._

_About Iraq, the prison, the torture, the morphine they had given him until he couldn't live without it. How they had made him beg for water and crawl in the dirt, kept him naked, tied up and blindfolded for days... how they'd tried to break him. The whole dirty disgusting story of Jack's escape. The things he had done to get out there – his only motivation being to get home and see his wife and son again. If it hadn't been for his family he'd have rather died than submit to the mercy of one guard who took a liking to the American's ass... Looking back, it was ironic that the one thing that had kept him alive in Iraq turned out to be lost to him when he had finally made it home. _

_He had returned to his family as a wreck, physically and emotionally drained._

_Daniel listened and never judged when Jack revealed to him how he had let his family down. His wife had been scared of the haunted, brooding man he'd become. The child had been born and grown into a toddler without him. Jack had been a stranger to Charlie. And Sara, maybe without realizing it, had kept it that way. She and the kid had spent a lot of time at her parents while Jack had gone through therapy and found his goal and healing in sports and his career once he'd been physically fit again._

_Sara had wanted to talk all the time at first, had crowded him, made demands. Later, she had wanted him to forget all about the war and Iraq and be the man she had married. And he couldn't. Not for her, not even for his son. _

_But Jack was a fighter and so he'd fought. Fought his addiction and his demons. He'd passed all the psychological tests and had worked his way through his fears and gone back into the field. _

_In the end he'd been promoted to colonel and estranged from Sara, who had accused him of being a workaholic, of never being home and of putting every assignment above his family. _

_And then one day Charlie had played with Jack's gun..._

_He'd gotten lucky and instead of putting a bullet through himself, only ripped a hole in the wall. But it had been the straw that broke the camel's back. When the dust had settled, Sara had asked Jack to leave – and to take his gun and the military with him._

_That had been shortly before he'd gotten assigned to the Stargate program._

_Daniel calmed down during Jack's revelation and listened quietly while Jack wondered who was the one in need of support here. He felt stripped, naked, defensive and dirty as he re-lived his past. Just like he'd felt when he'd come home and all he could think of was where to get his next shot of morphine while his wife had cried her eyes out, relieved to no end that her Jack had been back and alive._

_Only her Jack hadn't come back._

"_All gone," Jack said to Daniel. "All those... dreams one has about family, a nice home, happily ever after. It didn't mean anything anymore. She... lived in a different world than I."_

"_And you were in a very dark place," Daniel said softly._

"_It's no excuse for shutting her out and pushing her away. But..."_

"_You didn't want her in that dark place with you. You didn't want her to be sucked into it."_

_Jack swallowed hard. "I didn't think I'd ever leave that rat hole prison. In my mind I was still there long after I returned home. I've been in crappy places and situations before. Did nasty things for god and country. But I'd never been that close to a breaking point before. I didn't want her to know."_

_The nightmares had been the worst. He'd woken up in his bedroom, sweating and shivering in the dark, wondering when they'd come to get him, wondering if there was a noise or a sign they were there, watching him, waiting for him to doze off so they could wake him again and again... It had taken a long time until he'd been able to sleep for several hours without jerking awake._

"_I'm sorry," Daniel offered quietly. _

"_It happened. I guess we all moved on."_

_It was all in the past now. He could cope and the memories had lost some of their horror, or had been replaced by new hells. _

_Daniel looked at him and said, "If you could get through that, I'll be able to get through a little sarcophagus addiction."_

"_Yeahsureyabetcha." _

_Daniel started to drink his coffee. "Maybe Janet is right," he said thoughtfully. "Maybe it'll pass." _

_And then they locked Jack's past back into the closet where it belonged and never talked about it again... _

...But it had done something to Jack.

He'd realized there was someone who accepted him the way he was, with his darkest abyss, scars and edges. With his failures and bad temper and everything. Sure, Daniel had been the thorn in Jack's side more often than not. Yet, their foundation had been strong and solid.

And it meant a hell of a lot to him.

He opened his eyes, finding himself still sitting on the roof in the afternoon sun. Birds were twittering in the treetops. A total contradiction to the dark memory lane he'd just walked down. From all the memories of Daniel, why had this one popped up and shown its ugly face?

_Oh, I get it,_ he thought cynically. _So I needed you. Is that it? That's what you want me to remember? Well, you're right, Daniel. I needed you. You happy now? It has nothing to do with the kid though. _

_We've seen each others dark places, _the Daniel in Jack's mind said kind of dreamily, _We looked into each others abyss. We were souls who recognized one another. You need to let the kid in. Don't shut him out. _

"Okay," Jack said to the empty roof. "I don't think like that. Stop it. It's creeping me out."

And to his relief, there was no answer. He stayed a couple of minutes longer to gather his wits. When had he allowed his inner voice to become so... Daniel-ish? It had to stop. Right here. No more Daniel talk, no more inner dialogues.

Having made this decision, Jack felt better as he climbed down and headed into the house to check on the kid and pay for his purchases.

_God bless ,_ Jack thought three days later when he placed the delivered packages on the kitchen table and called for Daniel.

"That was fast," Daniel commented when he entered the kitchen, his eyes becoming wide at the boxes. "Did I really order that much? Wasn't that too much? Will the Air Force really pay for it?"

"Nope, nope and yes," Jack answered all three questions with a smirk.

It wasn't really that much. Couple of books, some puzzles, some CDs. Jack had asked him if he wanted a playstation, but Daniel had declined the offer. He'd blushed and mumbled he'd rather have his own laptop, but that it could wait until later.

Weird kid.

Charlie had a playstation and a Nintendo DS. Jack had paid for most of the games over the last few years. Birthdays, Christmas... The last time Charlie had been here, Jack had barely seen him doing anything but play with the DS thingy. Or listening to his I-tunes. Well, his son definitely had great skills in avoidance techniques when it came to spending time with Jack without actually having to talk to him.

O'Neill helped Daniel carry his new possessions to the guest room.

"Feel free to put your things on the shelves, the desk and into the cabinet," he said awkwardly.

He wasn't sure how he felt about the boy giving this room his personal touch. It had been a while since Jack had set foot in here before the kid moved in. Charlie slept here on the rare occasions he visited. But he never stayed long enough to make if 'his' room. So it had always worn Daniel's mark. Some time after Daniel died, Jack had stripped the room of his friend's presence.

There was no need to keep things around just to watch the dust settle on them.

Jack lingered for a bit, watching Daniel as he carefully opened the boxes and unpacked them. "You need help with that?"

"No. No, I'm fine, thanks," was the absentminded answer.

He pulled out a puzzle box and gazed at it. It was a large puzzle ball, featuring an ancient world map. Jack felt mentally challenged just from looking at it. 1500 pieces?

Holy buckets. Well, at the very least it was going to keep his little house guest occupied for some time.

**3**

Over the course of the next few days Jack and Daniel fell into some kind of living routine. Jack fixed meals and Daniel took care of dishes. Sometimes they watched a movie together after dinner and sometimes Daniel helped Jack with chores. He managed to set Jack check mate and they began a new game shortly after that, playing the most part of one rainy afternoon. Jack was fascinated by the boy's style. He played chess just like Daniel. There was a razor sharp mind in that little head. Even the way he was sitting on the couch gazing at the board was so familiar. He could sit that way for a long time, thinking up his next move. Shoulders hunched, elbows on his knees, his fingertips pressed together under his chin, eyebrows crinkled in concentration.

When he wasn't spending time with Jack, Daniel stayed to himself, either reading or working on his puzzle.

None of the ruckus Jack had expected would come with a kid, happened. After being home for two weeks, he was still living a quiet life with enough time to read the papers, listen to opera, watch TV, do garden work and fix stuff around the house.

He painted the shed, repaired his bike and went through some paperwork.

In the middle of the third week, Jack remembered why he wasn't the early retirement type.

He was crawling up the walls with boredom.

Daniel read big and boring looking books about ancient mythologies.

Jack re-read his National Geographics

Daniel was engrossed in his puzzle thingy.

Jack zapped through the TV channels, feeling his eyes glaze over at all the reality shows, sci-fi shows, crime shows or – which were the worst – cooking and gardening shows.

And on top of that Jack found Daniel's ongoing quietness rather irritating.

He knew there was a strong minded, animated little guy hiding somewhere inside this subdued guarded kid. Jack had seen bits and pieces of that other Daniel at the SGC and when they'd worked together in the garden and had dinner at Fraiser's. He already knew the brat could be quite feisty, too.

Ever since they'd talked about Daniel's time line and Trofsky, the tension between them had eased for the most part. So Jack wasn't sure what the problem was now. And instead of being glad the kid wasn't any trouble, he felt a little annoyed about the act of detachment this Daniel presented him with.

He didn't expect Daniel to be a happy camper. Not with that backstory or the guilt he carried around. But he didn't expect Daniel to be so detached either. Maybe Jack expected Daniel to be... Daniel. No, he corrected himself. He expected Daniel to be more like the ten year old kid he was.

On a warm sunny morning Fraiser called and asked how things were going. Jack told her about the online shopping and, in a spur of the moment, invited her over for a barbecue on Sunday. She was pleased and offered to bring salad and bread if Jack provided steaks and ribs. And beer.

Jack shared the news with Daniel over lunch.

"That's nice," Daniel replied, continuing to eat his tomato soup.

"You're okay with that, right?" Jack had the impression Daniel and Cassie had gotten along great.

"Sure. I like Cassie," Daniel said and gave him a quick smile. "We were friends at home, too."

"Sweet." Jack turned his attention back to his own soup, already making a mental list of groceries he needed to get for Sunday, when the phone rang.

It was Sara. He'd forgotten to put the check in the mail. The monthly childcare payment for Charlie was automatically pulled from Jack's bank account. But this had been extra money for his new hockey gear and he must have... Crap. He had put it on the fridge. Where it might as well still be. "Look," he offered wearily, "I'm sorry. I'll send it off right away."

"Jack, we need the money. I promised to buy the new skates and helmet weeks ago." Her voice was calm and cool as usual, with just a little tinge of irritation.

"I'll get right on it."

"There's something else," she said before he could make a fast retreat.

Jack bit his lip. _Great. What now?_

"Charlie wants to see you this summer."

"Charlie _wants_ to see me?"

There was a pause, then she let out a breath. "Yes."

"Why does he want to see me? He hasn't wanted to see me for the last two years."

"Don't even try to pretend you're heartbroken about not seeing him," Sara said sharply. "You didn't want to see him anymore than he wanted to see you."

"Fine. Why now?"

"He's just asked to spend time with you. I'm not sure why. He's fourteen, he probably needs a father," Sara's clipped voice came over the phone.

"Yeah, well, that's not such a good idea at the moment," Jack said lamely.

"Of course it isn't," she replied flatly. "But you have a couple of weeks to get used to the thought. Unless there's another urgent military thing coming up..."

"Sara..."

"...that's more important than your son."

Like what? Saving the world? Jack could think of several occasions that would have included Sara's little world going to hell in a handbasket if it hadn't been for the SGC or SG-1 in particular. But of course he couldn't tell her that.

Jack turned and spotted Daniel standing at the stairs to the living room giving him a quizzical look. He made a shooing motion with his hand to get the kid to leave. Daniel shrugged and sauntered off.

"Look, can we talk about this later?"

"You can expect Charlie sometime in July. I'll make arrangements and buy a bus ticket," she said. "Look at your work schedule and let me know. I have to go now, hockey practice starts in an hour. Call me, okay?"

"Sara..." But he was talking to a dead phone. She had hung up on him.

Flinging the phone on the receiver, Jack suppressed a curse.

July was less than two months away.

Nope. Not gonna happen. He'd have enough on his hands with taking care of Daniel. He couldn't possibly have two kids around. He'd call Sara back and... And tell her he had a foster kid to deal with and couldn't be bothered to have his own son coming to visit?

Yeah, right. That would go over well. Not.

Jack went back to the kitchen to finish his lunch. Daniel had put his own dishes into the washer and rinsed the pots and pan. The kid was nothing if not tidy. So un-Daniel like.

Frowning, Jack poured his cold soup into the sink. His Daniel hadn't been like that. Sure he had helped Jack cook and helped around the house; the usual stuff you did if you were a good guest or living temporarily with your best friend. But other than that Daniel had always left stuff everywhere. Mainly books. Not this little fella. His things stayed in his room and if he had a book with him in the living room he took it away once he was done reading.

Did that mean this Daniel was different? Or did that mean this Daniel didn't feel at home here? Jack suspected the latter. Then again he still didn't know this Daniel very well. He pocketed his real feelings away quite nicely. Aside from the not-so-mini meltdown recently. Jack had to give it to the kid; he was just as good at shutting everyone else out as Jack was – and as his Daniel had been. So maybe not so different after all.

Jack's thoughts returned to Charlie - who was going to visit him. If he was a good father, he'd be looking forward to it. But as Sara had pointed out several times while they had still been married, Jack wasn't a good father.

Sometimes over the last years – especially when he'd been stuck on some unfriendly stinking planet, imprisoned or injured – he'd regretted his inability to fix things between them. His son would grow into a man and at best not know his own father very well. Sometimes Jack wondered if Charlie actually hated him. He usually dismissed the train of thought, but when you were freezing to death in Antarctica or going to die because some alien device had pinned you to the wall of the gate room, those were the things that came to mind.

But he had never known how to make the first step. Sara and Charlie had moved to another state soon after the divorce and Jack had respected his ex-wife's wish to stay out of her life as much as possible. Maybe it had been convenient for him to just let her have her way. That way he hadn't been forced to try too hard. But on the few occasions Charlie had visited him, there never had been the right time to have one of those father-son bonding talks. Or so it seemed.

He finished his grocery list, grabbed the letter to Sara, and yelled for Daniel to get ready to leave.

On their way into town Jack felt the kid's eyes burning a hole into his neck from the backseat. He ignored it and focused on the traffic. At a red light he finally turned to give Daniel a longsuffering look. "What?"

"What?" Daniel asked back, blinking.

"I can hear the wheels turning in your head. What's up?"

"Nothing," Daniel hurried to say, biting his lip and gazing out the window. "Was that Sara on the phone?"

"You eavesdropped, so you already know."

"You're mad," Daniel observed.

"It was a private conversation. I don't want you to hang around listening, okay?"

"No. I mean you're mad about what she said to you. About Charlie coming to visit."

"Did you listen to anything I just said?"

"Don't you want him to visit?" Daniel asked quietly. "I don't understand. He's your son. He..." But whatever he wanted to say, he swallowed it and hugged himself.

Jack had to focus on the traffic again. And he SO didn't want to have this conversation. "It's complicated," he felt compelled to say.

"Oh," was Daniel's soft reply.

They fell silent again until they were pushing their cart down Ralphs' aisles looking for everything they needed for the BBQ. Their conversation circled around what pickles to buy and what steaks to pick. Jack asked Daniel if he wanted chicken wings and Daniel said sure, why not. He became a little more animated over the dessert choice, picking a chocolate fudge cake.

When they returned home and carried in the grocery bags Daniel suddenly stopped and pointed at the old basket hanging at the garage door. "Jack? Can I play here with Cassie on Sunday? She wanted to show me how to shoot hoops."

"Sure, why not," he answered absently as he juggled two brown paperbags in his arms.

"Did you teach Charlie how to play here?"

"No, he already could play when I moved here." Jack managed to unlock the front door and ushered the kid inside.

"But you taught him, right?" Daniel plunked his own grocery bag on the kitchen table.

Well, yes, of course he had. It's what dads did, right? He had done his share of daddy-things if he hadn't been out to kill people on Special Ops missions. He had taught his kid basketball, how to skate... Stuff like that. He'd never seen him play hockey since he'd been on a team though. He just hadn't been home much for a while, once he'd been declared fit for duty again by the quacks and doctors after his pleasant stay in Iraq.

Sara had done a lot of stuff with Charlie alone. The zoo, visiting her parents, taking him on bike trips, … and then Charlie had gone to school and spent time with friends and their cool dads. He'd stopped asking Jack if he'd come to his next school basketball game or play catch with him. They had drifted apart long before the gun shot had happened.

"My Jack coached Charlie's little league team." Daniel didn't look at him. He was busying himself with the groceries.

"Good for him," Jack replied curtly, slamming a cupboard door shut. This other Jack had probably been a saint.

"His Charlie played basketball too. Though I don't know if he played hockey," Daniel prattled on as he put the chocolate cake in the fridge.

"Do you ever back off?" Jack glared at the brat's back.

Daniel stiffened for a moment, then slowly closed the fridge door and turned, glaring back with narrowed eyes. "I'm just trying to figure out what's going on."

"Things are a little different here, that's all," Jack said more snidely than he intended to, adding a silent; _Get over it._

"I'm trying to help," Daniel said, scowling.

There he was. The real Daniel underneath the calm guarded kid. Or at least some fragment of him. Jack couldn't quite figure this Daniel out yet. But he recognized the stubborn 'not letting go' streak very well. Like a dog with a bone.

"Well, that's nice of you, but I'll deal, thank you." Jack knew he was slapping him down hard. But he wasn't going to pour his heart out about a screwed up marriage and his failures as a father to a ten year old version of his best friend.

Charlie and Sara were Jack's concern and only Jack's. It was personal stuff and it wasn't something he was keen on sharing, so there.

And right before his eyes, Daniel snapped shut like a shell. He stood frozen on the spot for a moment and then shrugged. "Sorry." It was said without any attitude as he continued to put things away and then went to his room without another word.

Jack did laundry and read the paper, not worried about the boy at all. Daniel could occupy himself for hours in his room. He was probably reading or working on that puzzle thing or... brooding.

_It's not his fault you're angry Sara sprung Charlie's visit on you. He just wanted to be supportive._ Again his Daniel's voice taking over his subconscious.

"Oh, for crying out loud!" Shaking his head Jack folded the paper, put it on the table and went to check on the kid.

Daniel was at his desk pushing around minuscule puzzle pieces. The half finished globe was sitting in front of him. "I can't place this piece," he said absently when Jack looked over his shoulder.

"Isn't that supposed to work with numbers?"

"Yes, but doing it by numbers is boring. You don't have numbers on normal puzzle pieces. Figuring it out by the way the pieces look – that's the challenge."

"Right." Jack peered at the scattered pieces. Brown, white and beige. Some had fragments of letters written on them or lines of borders for countries. But lots of them were blank because it was an ancient globe and many parts of the world hadn't been discovered.

Daniel tipped his head back and looked at him. "Did you want something?"

"Uh, nope. Just..." He was fishing for words, then finally settled for, "What do you want for dinner?"

"Oh." Turning his attention back on the puzzle pieces Daniel let a moment pass before he said. "Whatever you want is fine."

So they were back to the 'whatever' part. Jack suppressed a sigh. "How 'bout pasta?"

"Okay."

"Good." He lingered, gazing at all the pieces. He picked one up almost against his will, skimmed the puzzle ball and carefully placed it into one of the holes. It fit.

Daniel looked at him again a tentative smile tugging at his lips. "Thanks."

"I knew it had to be part of India," Jack said, picking up another piece. "How about this one? Could fit right there." It didn't. But it could have.

"Look! Over here," Daniel took the piece from Jack and placed it. Then he gazed at the globe and said softly. "This is my life."

"This?" Jack gestured at the puzzle.

"Yes." Daniel chose another piece, brown with beige spots, too small to really reveal where it belonged. "Scattered in pieces. Some fit, some don't, some might be lost, some only reveal blank patches. Chaos."

"I'm sorry," Jack said, meaning it. After a moment he added, "But on the bright side you still have a life." While his own Daniel didn't. His life wasn't just scattered into pieces. It was gone. Blown out like a candle, poof, good-night my someone, good-night.

Jack stomped down a short flicker of self-directed anger. Damn it, he had lost people before. Friends. Why was this so hard? Even after all this time... He was trained to deal with failures like this. Shove it somewhere dark, throw away the key and move on. He had done it with Iraq eventually, had gotten over it. Or if not that, had successfully locked it up and thrown the key away.

He just couldn't lock up the memories of his Daniel. Or the empty gap his death had left in Jack's life. All their lives. He knew Carter was still grieving. Teal'c had been willing to throw all caution to the wind and shoot reason to hell to follow Jack in his haze and thirst to kill Trofsky... Jack had screwed up. Teal'c was gone. Trofsky was still out there.

"I know," Daniel sighed, snapping him out of his raging thoughts. "I'm still alive. I just don't feel alive most of the time anymore." Then he recoiled into himself once more as he shrugged. "I didn't mean to whine."

Oh, great. Now he was feeling guilty again. Whenever Jack opened his mouth the wrong thing seemed to come out. He patted the boy's shoulder a little awkwardly. "But if your life is like this puzzle maybe you can try to put the pieces together again. One day."

"Yeah, maybe. One day." He gave Jack a little smile. "Pasta sounds good."

As Jack was stirring the pasta he mulled over what Daniel had said earlier.

_I don't feel alive most of the time anymore_

Oh, yeah. He knew a thing or two about that feeling.

_No kid should feel like that_, he thought. No kid should feel as dead inside as Jack did. It was for the burned out. Guys like Jack. Not guys like Daniel, especially not mini Daniels.

He couldn't undo things for the little guy. Hell, he couldn't be his father.

But there was one thing Jack O'Neill was good at. He'd get the job done. Somehow, someday he would be back out there and bring Teal'c home. There was a strong part of Jack that believed his Jaffa friend was still alive. Somehow he'd find him.

And if there was an opportunity to get his hands on Trofsky one day, Jack would blow his brains out and send him to hell.

Maybe that would give him and the kid some peace after all.

**4**

Janet and Cassie arrived on Sunday laden with a bowl of potato salad and two loaves of still warm bread. Daniel had set the table and Jack was busy at the grill. The smell of grilled steaks wafted through the backyard. It was a beautiful day, blue skies and sunny. The roses were in bloom and the lilac they'd planted had developed new shoots and would soon start to blossom.

Cassie's red hair flared like a bonfire as she dashed across the lawn, dumped the bread on the table and went to hug uncle Jack, who pecked her on the cheek and sent her inside to get some water for her dog.

The dog took off toward the trees and bushes immediately, probably trying to find rabbits to chase.

Janet hugged Daniel and handed him a gift-wrapped box. "This is for you. And don't even think about saying you don't need anything," she ordered with a twinkle in her brown eyes as he opened his mouth to say just that.

Daniel turned the gift over in his hands. Finally he opened it and showed it to Jack. "It's a book."

"Surprise," Jack said with a roll of his eyes, but his grin took the sarcasm down a notch.

Daniel thanked Janet and carefully placed the book on the table. He was looking forward to starting to read it tonight. It was about an Egyptian God from an author Daniel really liked.

"You're welcome. You can't ever have enough books." She gave him another affectionate smile. "You look good. Does he feed you better?"

"Hey, I heard that," Jack muttered from his place at the grill.

"You're supposed to," Janet fired back good-naturally.

"Did you want your steak cremated or in the O'Neill fashion?" Jack asked sarcastically.

"What's O'Neill fashion?" Janet required.

"In my world it meant it tastes like beer because he'd try to keep the steak from burning by pouring beer over it," Daniel said with a little smile of his own.

"What the brat said." Jack snorted.

Rolling her eyes, Janet looked at the grill. "Maybe I'll stick to salad."

Cassie returned with water for her dog and asked Jack where the basketball was. He pointed her to the garage, warning her to be careful with the truck and close the garage door on her way out. Cassie said, "Yeah, yeah," then told Daniel to follow her.

Cassie showed him ways to shoot more hoops and how to fine tune his moves. And while he thought she was bragging just a little bit, it was still fun. When they didn't feel like playing anymore they took turns throwing sticks for the dog, who constantly failed to find them. He chased after them, then apparently got confused and returned without the stick, waiting until they'd throw another one.

"He's kinda stupid," Cassie said, laughing.

"Maybe he needs glasses," Daniel suggested and joined in her laughter.

"Doggy! The stick is over there you useless doormat," Cassie yelled.

"Does your dog actually have a real name?" Daniel asked. His Cassie's dog had been called Fluffy. The dogs seemed to be the same breed, though Daniel had no idea what breed. Both had wiry brown, black, and white spotted fur. And an always wagging tail.

"Yes, his name is Sir Walter. That's what it said in his papers. I called him Walter for a while, but Walter is a real stupid name for a dog. And somehow we all ended up calling him Doggy," Cassie explained.

_There,_ Daniel thought, _another difference_. However small it was.

They sat in the grass and Doggy wedged himself between them, turning on his back.

"How long are you going to stay with uncle Jack?" Cassie asked as they rubbed the dog's belly. Daniel liked the feel as he brushed his fingers through it. He'd never had a pet, but Jack had thought about getting a dog after the downsizing. The famous 'every kid on Earth needs a dog' rule.

"I don't know yet," Daniel replied carefully. He had to watch himself so he wouldn't give away anything Cass wasn't supposed to know.

"Oh, okay. Where do you come from?" She threw up her hands as soon as the words had left her mouth. "Sorry. Mom told me not to ask nosy questions."

Janet's call for dinner saved him. For the moment.

Jack's steaks and chicken wings turned out to be delicious and not cremated or drowned in beer at all. Janet's salad was great as well and while they were eating and chatting about the weather, the food, and Cassie's possible choices on next school term classes, Daniel could almost pretend they were something like family. It was such a nice feeling. Like they did this all the time; having dinner together on a summer evening out on the deck.

"I'm going to camp this summer. In July," Cassie shared between two gulps of Seven Up. "At the Garden of the Gods. It's four weeks."

"What kind of camp?" Jack asked.

"A sports camp. They're doing all kind of things. Hiking, rafting, mountain climbing." Cassie elbowed Daniel. "Hey, you could come, too. It'd be fun."

Daniel froze, his hand holding the fork hovering over his plate. He was waiting for Jack to say something like: _We don't even know if Daniel will still be here then._ He felt thrown back into his foster home time when families had made plans and carefully avoided including Daniel because he might not be there anymore for the next vacation, family gathering, birthday...

But then Jack said, "If Daniel is still here in July, we can talk about it."

Daniel let out a breath and looked at Jack from underneath his bangs. Would he still be here in July? That'd be almost two months from now. He didn't expect to stay that long. He wasn't even sure he wanted to stay that long. "Um," he started, avoiding anyone's eyes, "I'm not into sports. Sorry."

"There's that," Jack said dryly.

"Ohhh," Cassie drawled. "You'll like it. They have other things, too. Explorer days in the wilderness, Native American history clases. It would be so cool if you could come along. None of my friends are going."

"Cassie, why don't we just wait and see how things turn out with Daniel's parents?" Janet gave her daughter a poignant look.

"Sorry, mom. I just thought it'd be cool."

"Hey kids, why don't you play some more ball?" Jack suggested. "Or go to Daniel's room. He has this real cool puzzle thingy."

_Nice save_, Daniel thought, hoping the subject was closed. "I can do the dishes first," he offered.

"No, let us take care of that, honey." Janet shooed them off.

Great. Now Cassie would prattle on about her camp and insist Daniel come along. The last thing he wanted was to spend four weeks with a gaggle of excited, noisy, sport-crazed kids. He used to love to go camping with his SG-1. They had done it on weekends a couple of times. It had brought back memories of missions and the time when he'd still been part of the team. They'd even taken MRE sometimes just for old time sakes. But that had been different. A kids camp sounded like a lot of stress and stupid games he wasn't eager to play.

But to his surprise Cassie had apparently dropped the matter. She looked around and picked up a book from his desk. You're into the same weird stuff our Daniel was," she said. "Egyptology and Greek myths." She reached for a box of DVDs, still sealed, and read the title. "Archaelogical discoveries of the century. Don't tell me... you wanna be an archaeologist when you're big."

"Um, yeah."

"That's weird," she repeated thoughtfully, putting the book back.

"What?"

"You. You kinda remind me of our Daniel, you know? He was grown up, of course. But yeah, he liked the same stuff. Funny... you even have the same name. What's your last name anyway? It's not Jackson, is it?"

Daniel stood there, open mouthed, trying to think up a name. That's what he got for not having a proper cover story. _Thank you so much, Jack and General Hammond_. "No," he spluttered finally, "it's, ah, Rothman. Not Jackson." He hoped Cassie'd never heard of Robert Rothman or he'd probably be in even more trouble.

"I was kidding." She put the box back on the shelf. "I know it's not Jackson. And I know I should stop asking questions. Sorry."

"It's okay. I always ask too many questions, too," Daniel told her. "I don't know when my parents will be back. It could take a while." He hoped that was enough to stop her from wanting to know more details.

"You must miss them very much. Not knowing where they are and … you know, when they'll be back." Cassie's eyes were sad and scarily knowing when she looked at him.

Daniel swallowed. "Yeah, I... do miss them."

That wasn't a lie. He still did miss them from time to time. At one point, when he had been growing up the first time, he had realized his memories of his mom and dad had begun to fade, become less vivid. It had been a mixed blessing of pain and relief. Relief because as time went by his loss had felt less raw, and pain because he had been afraid he might forget them. Or, if not forget his parents, forget what they had been like. He had tried to keep his memories alive by looking at their pictures and recalling things they had done together. Slowly, very slowly, he had learned to remember his parents without falling into the black hole of depression. But he still missed them sometimes.

"My parents are dead," Cassie said. Her right hand was absently playing with a strand of hair, wrapping it around one finger and pulling on it. "My mom adopted me."

_I know_, Daniel wanted to say. _I know where you really come from and I know about the stargate and the Goa'uld and everything_. Instead he just turned his head to look at her slightly freckled face. "I'm sorry."

She smiled sadly. "It's better now. I have Janet. And Jack. And Sam." A shadow fell over her face. "I miss Daniel and T... Murray."

"Yeah." _I miss Teal'c too,_ Daniel thought, _and Sam and my Jack. _He had to look away, afraid she might read something in his face.

"My mom... Janet... is very different from my other... my first mommy. But that's good, you know? I can always think of them and the things I love about them. Mommy was very soft, very gentle. She never shouted or yelled. Not like my dad. He had a very loud voice and used to holler most of the time instead of talking. But he was always laughing and joking. You would've liked my dad. Everyone liked him. Everything about him was strong and big." Cassie rubbed a hand across her face. "He was a farmer. We had a farm on... in Toronto." She let out a nervous little giggle. "Boy, this is awkward. I've never told anyone before. When I started school I just told people I moved here from Toronto. It's too hard to talk about... stuff."

Daniel listened, deeply moved. Cassie had never talked much about her life on Hanka in his own time line. Janet probably knew more about it, maybe Sam. But the rest of them had never dared to ask her to talk about her first family, fearing it might open barely healed wounds.

_You've probably never been in Toronto_, he thought with sad amusement. He knew it was part of her cover story. That she had lived in Toronto before. Again, he wanted to hug her. Like he'd done when he'd still been big and his own Cassie needed some cuddling. But again, he didn't dare touch her. It was too awkward. She'd probably hit him if he tried. "You don't have to talk about it, Cassie," he said softly.

"Yeah, but it's different with you." She blushed and continued to play with her hair. "That's a totally uncool thing to say, I know. But I feel like I've known you much longer than I have. I hope you don't move away again."

Daniel groaned inwardly. Of course she felt like she knew him. She had no idea how close she was to the truth, even though he wasn't this universe's Daniel. "You can talk to me about whatever you want. I'll listen," he offered. "I'm good at listening."

"Yeah. I guess." She blushed even deeper and gave him a little smile.

Oh god. He hoped she didn't have a crush on him or something. He had been 'uncle Daniel' to her... or to another version of her anyway. The mere thought of Cassie having pre-puberty, hormone driven _feelings_ for him was scary on many levels.

Suddenly she punched him on the arm. "Hey, don't get any funny ideas, 'kay? I'm not into yucky boy and girl stuff. I just like you. You know, like a buddy."

"Okay." He had to laugh. Relieved to hear that. And glad the odd moment was over. "Okay, I get that. Hey, do you like puzzles?"

"Sure, but no baby puzzles. Wow, is that a puzzle ball?" She jumped off the bed and went to investigate the unfinished globe. "Way cool. Let's see if we can finish it."

They spent the rest of the evening working on the globe. Cassie told him about her friends, her school, the basketball team and the chess club she wanted to join next term. Daniel mentioned he played too and Cassie suggested to meet soon for a game. "I'm still learning," she shared with him. "I just started this spring. I'm not very good."

"My dad taught me when I was very young," Daniel replied. "I've always loved chess."

"Hey, maybe you can teach me some tricks and moves?"

"Yes. That'd be great," Daniel replied. And he really thought it was. He was wondering why he was so light-hearted all of a sudden. There was a warmth inside him he hadn't known he'd missed until he felt it now. Then he realized what it was. He had found his first real friend in this reality.

He was almost happy.

**5**

The dishwasher was rumbling softly in the kitchen as Jack carried two mugs of coffee out to the deck. He placed one in front of the doc and eased back into his chair with his own. "Thanks for the help," he said and she gave him a little wave.

"You fed us good, Colonel."

"I live to serve?" He took a sip of his coffee.

"I like the sound of that." There were tiny golden spots in her brown eyes as she smiled. Or maybe it was just the evening sunlight playing tricks on Jack.

"So how am I doing?" Jack asked half in jest, nodding in the general direction of the house.

"Well, he looks better. Less pale and haunted. Is he eating regularly?"

"Yep. He still doesn't have much of an appetite, but he eats."

"Maybe he needs to get out more. Do some sports. He seemed to have no problem with his appetite tonight. You should consider sending him to camp with Cassie"

Jack groaned inwardly. The last thing he wanted was having to drive Daniel to basketball practice... or whatever. "You heard him. He's not into sports." On the other hand; if he could coax Daniel to join Cassie at camp and schedule Charlie's visit for the same time it would solve the problem of having to deal with two kids at once... No. Daniel would be gone by then, Jack was sure of that. They'd find a good home for him.

"He seemed to have fun playing ball with Cass," Fraiser said.

"Look, I have no idea how long he'll stay. It's not fair to make him find friends, establish some bonds... only to take it all away from him when he has to move? It'd be no problem if he'd stay in the neighborhood, but who knows where he'll end up living."

She held his gaze, her brown eyes boring into him. "I was kind of hoping you would've changed your mind by now."

"He can stay as long as they need to find a home for him. But I'm not adopting him." He wanted to stare her down and to his dismay couldn't. Turning his gaze to the trees instead, he continued, "He's a nice kid and all. It's just not going to happen."

"Why not?" It wasn't asked with accusation.

"I need to be back in the field."

"You won't be back out there if you don't pass the psychological tests."

"C'mon, doc. It's been almost four months. Hammond called off any S and R for Teal'c. I didn't run amok."

"MacKenzie says you're uncooperative. You're not working on your issues. Or your grief." Her voice dropped at the last part, changing from the professional tone to that of a compassionate friend.

"What's there to work through? I thought we could nail the bastard who killed Daniel, turned out I was wrong. I paid the price." He felt his jaw clench.

"What if it happens again? What if you lose someone else close to you?"

"I won't," he said flatly. Because nobody was ever getting that close to him again. He'd make sure of that.

"Daniel wasn't your only friend at the SGC."

Jack sat perfectly still, his hands loosely wrapped around the coffee mug. Only his teeth were gritted so hard he wasn't sure he'd ever be able to open his mouth again. "The price was too high." he forced himself to say. He knew how to keep his voice even, how to appear calm. "SG-1 was too close. I won't make that mistake again."

Fraiser searched for his eyes. "Jack..."

"Don't," he said, still calm on the outside, but putting a warning into that single word.

She drew in a breath. "You need to get with the program in order to go through the gate again and lead a team."

"Fine," he said, giving her a hard look. "I'll make it work."

Because he owed Daniel. Both of them. And Teal'c... If there was any chance he was still alive Jack couldn't leave him behind. No one gets left behind.

"There's something else to consider," Fraiser said carefully. "Regarding Daniel."

"What's that?"

"He needs to go to school. Or at least have a place to stay and study while you're at the mountain once your leave is over."

Oh, joy. This day just kept getting better and better. "I have six more weeks of leave left. All saved up when I was still out there saving the world. He shouldn't start school until he has a permanent family."

"Finding parents for Daniel will take time. Right now you're his best option."

A sudden suspicion crept up on Jack. "Yeah? Are they even looking?" Hammond had been more than relieved to get the case mini-Daniel Jackson off his desk.

Fraiser avoided his eyes. "On the matter of school... He's too smart to be placed in normal elementary or middle school."

"He's not just smart," Jack said quietly. He'd been thinking about this since Daniel had talked about his downsizing and his time line. He put his coffee mug down and leaned forward. "I think you're right. He cheated on those tests he did for MacKenzie."

Fraiser let out a slow breath. "What makes you think that?"

"He seems to remember everything from his former life very clearly. Told me about Abydos, Sha're and Skaara. How much he's missing them." Jack paused, recalling Daniel's words...

_It will get better. I remember that from when my parents died. And Sha're. One day it'll stop hurting so much. _These weren't the words of a child who only had some vague memories of what had happened to his family. Jack had seen Daniel's eyes, so old and sad.

"I don't think he lost any of his memories at all. He's too... mature in some ways," he finished.

She closed her eyes for a moment. "It's what I was afraid of," she murmured. Then her eyes snapped open again. "Are you sure?"

"Let's just say I share your hunch," Jack said with a humorless smirk.

"The general and I talked about Daniel's test results the day you took Daniel home."

"I know. I was there."

She brushed her hair out of her face and stared at a point behind Jack. "I spent time with Daniel while he was at the mountain. I had the impression he'd retained his adult memories even before he did those tests. He was too calm about his situation. Sure, he was shocked and scared. But he didn't need explanation about alternate time lines. He knew what had happened to him once he got over the shock. He remembered that quantum mirror and he knew where to find it. I bet he'd be able to use it to go home if it hadn't been destroyed."

"And you talked to Hammond about your assumptions?"

"Yes. Even before I got the test results back. He informed me he wouldn't report anything to Washington just yet. But if it turns out Daniel really has all his memories, it's even more important he stays with someone who can keep an eye on him."

Jack nodded slowly. That would explain why Hammond had been so insistent on putting the kid in Jack's care. Which meant...

"You set me up," he snapped at her, disbelief and anger bubbling up like boiling water. "Hammond never intended to send the kid somewhere else. And you were in on it from the start."

"Jack..."

"No. They can't order me to adopt a kid. And what about him? Daniel isn't happy here."

"He'll adapt and heal. Cassie was a very unhappy girl when she first came to live with me. She wanted to stay with Sam," Fraiser said patiently. "It took us a while to work it out, but we did. We're a real family now. You and Daniel can accomplish that, too."

"Oh, yeah? I have news for you," Jack said coldly. "You were right. His Jack is dead. He watched him die. And he's far from being over it. I don't know how to deal with that. I'm not a frigging psychologist."

The color drained from her face and she put a hand to her mouth. "How...?"

In few words Jack told her Daniel's story, finishing with, "I got the impression he had been okay as long as he was in his own reality. Carter and T took care of him there. But coming here, losing his home, opened a whole new can of worms for him. And living with me isn't gonna help."

She sighed. "I need a drink."

Without a word Jack went inside and poured both of them a generous amount of Jack Daniels. When he put the glass in front of her, she immediately reached for it and took a sip.

"If anyone figures out what he is, they'll lock him away and never let him out again. And I'm not just talking about the NID. He's a huge security risk. But in many ways he's just a little boy," she said flatly, after they had sat in silence for a while. "We don't have any real evidence he cheated on the tests. We were hoping he'd reveal himself to you some day. Because he'll eventually trust you. General Hammond is relying on you to keep him safe."

Oh, yeah? Like he had kept his own Daniel safe? Jack grimaced. "So far they seem oblivious. I keep sweeping the house for bugs since I brought him home and we have a brand new alarm system. No NID action so far. The less people know about Daniel's little secret, the better. They'd have a field day with him over at Area 51." Jack thought of Simmons, Maybourne, all the rat bastards. Yet, he wasn't ready to just sit back and let them force Daniel on him permanently. "So I'm right. Nobody's looking for parents. You all just expect me to suck it up and let him stay here."

"Jack..."

"Listen, doc. I told you I want to go back to gate travel. I can't go out there knowing there's a kid depending on me to come home in one piece."

"You already have another kid, Colonel."

"That's different. Charlie's with his mom, he doesn't need me." He was surprised how much it stung to verbalize the fact.

"We'll figure something out for Daniel. He could stay with me and Cass when you're off world."

"It's nice how you worked all that out," he said sarcastically. He felt like they had thrown a net over him and Daniel, pulling it tighter every minute.

She gazed at him and there was something in her eyes, something knowing. She slowly picked up her glass again. "You need to face your demons if you want to lead a team again." She pursed her lips, her small hand playing with the whiskey glass. "Work with MacKenzie. You'll be back in the field if you give it time and effort. You've been in therapy once before and it worked. Why aren't you willing to go through with it now?"

Jack stiffened. He was aware that as his doctor she knew his medical records. But that didn't mean he was comfortable talking about it. "That was different," he said curtly.

His addiction and the torture he'd gone through in Iraq had almost cost him his soul. Jack had opened up to the shrink enough to meet his expectation. It had been easy. That guy had dealt with too many messed up military minds before. He hadn't tried very hard to do more than scratch at the surface, which was right down Jack's alley. He had always dealt with his nightmares alone and he didn't intend to change that now.

"I know you don't like Doctor MacKenzie," Fraiser said, "but you don't have to do this with him. I can assign you to someone else."

He'd chosen MacKenzie over any other therapist because he'd thought it'd be enough to just show up for his appointments and sit through them. But apparently the quack wanted real cooperation. Which was something Jack hadn't expected after seeing how the doc had dealt with Daniel's little problem a couple of years ago.

"He put Daniel into a straight jacket and left him drugged to his eyeballs in a padded cell," he snarled.

Fraiser's lips tightened into a thin line. It didn't look pretty on her. "As you're well aware, Colonel, I was there and had – at that point – to agree with MacKenzie. Daniel ended up in that padded cell because we couldn't determine what was wrong with him. If anyone is at fault here it's not just MacKenzie."

Jack downed his whiskey and stared into his empty glass.

She was right.

In the first place it had been Jack's fault. Not because Daniel had been coming across as stir crazy, that had been a given. Daniel HAD been wacko. But Jack hadn't been listening to him. Hadn't seen how desperate his friend had been when Jack had visited him in that damn cell. He had turned his back on Daniel and walked out... had believed Daniel was in good hands with MacKenzie. Had closed his eyes and hoped the drugs would help.

And he of all people should've known drugs weren't always the right way to go.

Should have known Daniel wasn't crazy. After all they had seen before.

But he hadn't. And that had just been another one of Jack O'Neill's errors of judgment. Good for him that Daniel was the most forgiving guy in the universe.

As if reading his thoughts Fraiser said, "You're a good man. You used to be the leader of the premier team. Daniel believed there wasn't anything you couldn't do. And Sam is still loyal to you to the core." After a pause she added softly, "The SGC needs you, Jack."

"Right," Jack said, squinting into the golden evening sun. "I'll figure it out."

But first he had to get on Hammond's case about Daniel. There had to be a better solution for both of them.

General Hammond wasn't a happy camper when Jack sat across him in his office the next morning. Jack hadn't gone into details about his conversation with Fraiser or about Daniel's test results. He had simply asked how much longer it would take to find parents for Daniel. But it turned out the general had already been warned by the sneaky CMO.

"Doctor Fraiser told me you might come in today," the general said, frowning. "Is the boy a problem? I know the events that brought him here probably traumatized him, but I didn't get the impression Daniel was a difficult child. Where is he now, by the way?"

"I left him in the archaeological library. That should keep him happy for a while."

"He can't have access to classified material though."

"Doctor Lee is with him, he'll keep an eye on the kid."

"Good. What's the problem then, Colonel?"

"General, Daniel is a great kid. I just can't keep him." And Jack repeated Daniel's story, closing with the same words he had used the previous day when he had talked to Janet. That it wasn't in the kid's best interest to stay with Jack.

A long silence was the answer. Finally Hammond swiped a hand over his bald head. "Maybe you're right. I had no idea his own Colonel O'Neill died. I was so sure..." He shook his head. "Nevermind. I'll see what I can do. But in the meantime take good care of the boy."

"Yes, sir." He could do that. As long as it wasn't permanent.

When he walked into the library after spending an hour at the gym with Kawalsky pushing weights and catching up on what was going on at the mountain, Daniel was at one of the desks, a pile of books in front of him. He looked up and put down the paperback he'd been reading.

"Put the books back," Jack said. "We're ready to go." He nodded at Doctor Jamal and Doctor Lee who were hunched over a laptop at one of the work counters.

"Okay." Daniel quickly put the books on their shelves and followed Jack out. As they were riding up to the surface he said. "Doctor Lee and Doctor Jamal were trying to figure out a combination of glyphs to open a door to a temple chamber."

Jack frowned. Knowing Daniel, he was sure the kid had figured it out just by looking over their shoulders. "You didn't help them, didya?"

"Oh, I didn't. They were discussing it very loudly though." After a pause he added. "I couldn't help them even if I wanted to. I don't remember any alien languages. The memory thing, you know?"

_Right. And there's snow in hell_, Jack thought. But he decided not to address the issue just yet. However, he couldn't help but ask, "You don't even know what 'Kree' means?"

If Daniel was bothered by the question he didn't let it show. He had a quick come back at hand. "Yes, I do. Jack told me. It means yoo-hoo. Among other things."

Jack had asked his Daniel the same thing once and he'd prattled down a list of possible meanings of 'Kree' and Jack had bottom lined it with yoo-hoo. Different universes, same story – or so it seemed.

"I also know what a pain in the mik'ta is," Daniel informed him with a little smile that seemed to be shy and cheeky at the same time.

Jack snorted. "You sure got the important stuff, kiddo." And in a spur of the moment he asked, "Hey, you want to shoot some hoops?"

Daniel blinked. "Now?"

They had reached the parking lot and Jack squinted at the sunny sky. "The weather's great. There's a park with a court. We could, you know, go there and have a picnic or something."

"Oh." Daniel followed Jack's gaze. "We don't have a ball though."

"Well, we'd have to ride home first and put together some sandwiches anyway."

Daniel turned and stared at him like he'd grown a second head.

Oy. Was his company really that bad? Well, maybe it was.

"Thank you, Jack. But I wanted to read the book Janet gave me. It's really good."

"You could take it with you." He wasn't sure why he kept pushing, but it was a great day and... heck, he'd thought it'd be a nice change from their daily routine.

Daniel's eyebrows climbed upwards, then came down and crinkled in an all too familiar way, like he was trying to solve a complicated riddle. "Are... are you sure? I mean you don't have to entertain me. I'm fine."

"I thought it'd be fun."

"I don't know."

"Hey, it was just an idea. Relax." Jack shrugged it off. But he felt oddly rejected and schooled his face into a neutral expression so he wasn't scowling at the kid. If Daniel didn't want to spend time with him, so be it. He'd just start a stamp collection instead, or clean out the shed.

_Face it, _he thought, _the kid doesn't want to be anywhere near you._ It wasn't that he had tried very hard to build a relationship with this Daniel.

Their drive home was silent, but when Jack pulled the truck into the driveway, the kid piped up from the backseat. "Jack?"

"Daniel?" He bit his tongue at the dull ache the simple exchange of names ignited. The boy wasn't the only one affected by their enforced living arrangements. Mini Daniel cut open barely healed wounds, made him remember his Daniel as if he'd just died yesterday and not a year ago.

"Can we... still go to the park?"

He almost said no, but one look at the tentative hopefulness in those blue eyes made him swallow the negative response. "Are you sure you want to?"

"I... yes. I think I do."

They prepared something to eat for the picnic and when they were good to go, Jack asked. "You wanna take the ball?"

Daniel chewed his bottom lip. "Okay," he finally decided.

"You don't have to if you'd rather just read."

"No, I'd like that. I can do both."

"Yeah? That I wanna see."

Daniel blinked. "What?"

"I want to see you playing ball while your nose is stuck in a book." Jack grinned at Daniel's baffled look as they walked to the truck. Jack grabbed the ball from a shelf in the garage and threw it at the kid who caught it.

"Very funny," Daniel muttered as he put on his seatbelt.

"I'm a natural," Jack pointed out dryly.

In the rear view mirror he could see a tentative smile cross Daniel's face.

Maybe they were going to have a good time after all.


	4. Chapter 4 Turning Point

**Twisted Fate**

**Turning Point**

**1**

They found a spot near a basketball court. A group of picnic tables on top of a soft rolling hill. The green foliage of a huge tree shielded them from the hot sun. And they had the picnic area to themselves except for a group of elderly men playing chess further down the hill.

They unpacked their sandwiches and Daniel placed his new book on the table. He made a mental note to call Janet again to tell her how much he liked it.

"What's the book about?" Jack asked.

"Oh, it's about Imhotep. He was..."

"Wait!" Jack raised a finger. "Let me guess. He was a God. Egyptian... something about... uh... building pyramids and medicine."

Daniel was slightly impressed. "Yes. Though what's special about him – and makes him different from most other Egyptian gods – is that he was a mortal in the beginning and reached god status later through his actions and the great influence he had on the Egyptian culture. He designed the pyramid of Djosèr and was the founder of ancient Egyptian medicine. He did lots of research on the human body and found treatments for all kind of diseases."

"Daniel... our Daniel... briefed us on Imhotep. We found his library. According to Daniel it was a place of legacy. But he never got around to finishing his studies," Jack said, a shadow falling over his face.

"Was that his last mission?" Daniel was sure there had to be a reason Jack remembered this so vividly. His Jack had never paid much attention to myths and fairy tales as he had called most of Daniel's background explanation on ancient gods. He'd been more interested in the weapons and technology the aliens presenting as those Gods had left behind. And Daniel didn't have any reason to believe this Jack would be any different in this matter.

"Yeah," Jack said darkly.

"Well, we never met Imhotep, but I know there's a G..." Daniel bit his lip. "I mean, they told me there might be a... you know." He mentally slapped himself. If he wasn't careful he'd blow his already wonky cover. He couldn't reveal how much he really knew. But it was getting more and more difficult to decide what was safe to share and what wasn't. He had never been a good liar and he was beginning to fear Jack would see through his smoke screen soon. And what then? Would he report to Hammond? Would he confront Daniel with it?

"Here's your sandwich." Jack handed him a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and took a turkey one for himself. If he had noticed Daniel's slip he didn't react to it.

They ate and drank soda. Then Jack pulled out a fishing magazine and Daniel opened his book. They spent a quiet hour reading and enjoying the warm weather. Daniel at least enjoyed it. He still wasn't sure why Jack had taken him to the park. Because Janet had nagged at him? Out of an odd sense of duty? He remembered the guilt trip... sometimes foster parents had suddenly taken him to the movies or the park or brought home a box of chocolate for him. It had usually meant they were sending him away soon and felt sorry for him, wanted to do something good for him. Or had wanted to appease their guilt for not wanting to adopt him in the end.

Daniel was beginning to wonder if he'd be moved on to his new 'parents' soon. But he didn't feel like asking. It was a nice afternoon and he found himself enjoying their little picnic. It was a little bit like it used to be at home. If they'd found a new place for him to live, Jack would tell him soon enough.

Jack balled the empty paperbags from their lunch together and threw them in the general directions of the trash can. "He scores... not." He rose and put them into the can. "I used to be good at this." He picked up the ball, balancing it on his fingertips. "C'mon. Let's play."

"Okay, but I, um, am not very good," Daniel warned. He was a bit nervous. Playing with Cassie had been one thing. But Jack would probably think he was a total dweeb.

"Don't worry. My Daniel never touched a ball." Jack put his mind at ease. "It's just for fun, okay?"

"I guess." Daniel shrugged, caught the ball and took off toward the basket. Jack easily blocked his shot and recovered the ball, then took his time dribbling it down the court while Daniel tried his best to get the ball back.

"You're mean," Daniel wheezed a little. "You're a lot taller than I am."

"Hey, I'm being easy on you. Come on, you have to actually move to get it," Jack teased and threw the ball with one hand.

Daniel jumped as high as he could. His fingertips grazed the ball enough to push it off course. It hit the rim and bounced out. Before Jack could lunge for it, Daniel grabbed it, and quickly dribbled down the court in the opposite direction, heading for the other basket.

He stopped just past the foul line and took a shot before Jack had a chance to get in front of him and block it. He scored!

After that they took turns dribbling up and down the court for a while and taking shots until Daniel began to tire. Jack even taught him a few tricks to compensate for his height that he couldn't wait to try out against Cassie.

When Jack suggested taking a break, Daniel followed him back to the picnic table trying to balance the ball on his fingertips like Jack had done. It seemed to work and he was about to call Jack so he could see when the ball slipped away, bounced off the grassy ground and rolled down the hill.

"Oh, no!" Daniel ran after it. But when he reached the ball, he accidentally kicked it away across a small path and further down. At the bottom of the little hill was a small pond.

If the ball hit the water he'd never reach it...

Daniel ran faster, eyes on the moving red round...

Behind him Jack yelled his name...

There was a shrill ring, a loud bang and he was flying, his world turning upside down...

The air was knocked out of his lungs as he crashed to the ground. The incredible blue sky spun above him, the glaring sun somersaulting...

He couldn't breath, couldn't move.

"Daniel! Daniel, are you okay!?" Jack's face came into view, spinning with the rest of the world. "Daniel? Dammit." Jack's face was gone and he yelled something about an ambulance and then the Earth finally stopped spinning.

Daniel took a shaky breath, then another one. Jack's face was back and he gently patted Daniel's cheeks. "That's it, breathe. All right, now talk to me, Daniel. You okay?"

"Fine," Daniel murmured.

"Sure you are. Anything hurt?"

Daniel shook his head and started to sit up, but Jack's hands held him down. "Stay put. We'll get you checked out."

"Fine," Daniel repeated right before he threw up his lunch. With Jack's help he managed to come up to one elbow and turn his head to one side as he emptied his stomach.

"S'okay. Probably the shock. Easy there," Jack said, his hands holding Daniel's shoulders as he dry heaved some more.

"Happened?" Daniel asked, feeling drowsy.

"You ran into a bike. Guy on the bike tried to dodge the ball and you hit him. He's over there probably sporting several bruises, but he's wearing a helmet and he's already looking his bike over. So I think he's okay. You went flying though. And you hit your head."

"Sorry." Daniel sighed, closing his eyes in embarrassment. Oh. God. How could he have run into a bike? What was he, five years old?

He lost track of time as he was lying on the grass. The men who'd been playing chess gathered around them, asking if he was okay. Jack talked to them, but Daniel didn't pay attention to what they were saying. He didn't feel any pain, but when he moved his head, the world started spinning again, so he lay very still.

"Well, there's the ambulance," Jack said finally. A moment later a paramedic knelt down beside Daniel and asked him all kind of questions; how he felt, what hurt, if he'd been sick... as Daniel was placed on a gurney he could see another paramedic checking out the man with the bike.

The drive to the hospital was like a blur. He caught himself wishing Jack had stayed with him in the ambulance. But Jack had offered to take the other guy and his bike to the hospital in his truck and so he'd left Daniel in the capable hands of the paramedics. At Jack's request he'd been taken to the Academy hospital and he suspected they'd call Janet at the mountain and she'd come over and check him out eventually.

They placed him on a bed in the corridor and a nurse took his pulse, temperature and blood pressure. Daniel asked for a glass of water. His throat was so dry and his mouth tasted as if something had crawled into it and died.

By the time Jack showed up, Daniel had been moved to a curtained area. He was slowly coming out of his shock and was beginning to feel the bruises on his back and arms. His left leg hurt, too. A doctor had cleaned a gash on his knee and put a pristine white bandage around it. No stitches though, which was a relief. The doctor had probed Daniel's body carefully as he looked for signs of internal injuries or broken bones.

The same doctor who had treated Daniel's knee and shone the penlight into his eyes was talking to Jack now, making notes on his chart. "He has a concussion and several bruises, but other than that he got lucky. We'd like to keep him over night because of the concussion, but he should be fine to leave in the morning."

Jack thanked the doctor and came over. Daniel tensed, expecting to be yelled at. Jack must be mad because he'd been dumb enough to get himself injured and ruin the nice afternoon.

"Hey, how ya doing?" Jack carefully sat on the edge of the bed.

"Um... "

"Did you hear what the doc said? Concussion and some sore spots, that's all. They'll let you outta here tomorrow."

"Yes, I heard." Daniel gazed at his hands on the blanket. "I'm sorry," he mumbled.

Jack took a deep breath.

_Now he'll start chewing me out_, Daniel thought preparing for the worst.

Instead Jack cleared his throat. "I left the other guy at the ER. Looks like he got away with just a few bruises himself. I offered to pay for the repair of his bike, but he said that's okay and he hopes you'll be all right soon."

Jack didn't sound mad. Why didn't he sound mad?

"Is the bike badly damaged?" Daniel asked, relieved the man he'd run into would be okay.

"He said it's not that bad. Don't worry about it. How do you feel? Still sick?"

"No. Just sore. You can go home now. I won't go anywhere," Daniel said stiffly.

Jack opened his mouth to say something, then closed it again and rubbed a hand across his jaw. "That was one somersault you took there," he finally blurted out in a gravelly voice. "What the hell were you thinking taking off without looking left or right?"

So much for Jack not being angry.

Daniel ducked his head. "I wanted to catch the ball before it hit the water," he murmured.

"Why? You thought I'd rip your head off if the ball got wet?"

"I don't know." He hadn't really thought anything, he had just focused on the stupid ball. "I'm sorry I spoiled the day. I'm fine, really, you don't have to stay here," Daniel insisted after an awkward moment of silence.

To his surprise Jack's face softened as he started fiddling with Daniel's blanket. "I called Janet. She'll look after you tonight."

"Okay."

A nurse came to assign Daniel to his room which turned out to have a nice view over the hospital park. There was one other bed in it, but it was empty. When the nurse had checked Daniel's vitals again and left, Jack stood at the foot of his bed, hands jammed into the pockets of his leather jacket. "So... want me to bring you something from home? Your own pj's, toothbrush, books?"

"No, thanks." They'd provided him with toothbrush, towels and everything he needed for one night. Jack didn't have to drive back and forth to bring him things.

"O-kay. Hey, you wanna watch TV? The new episode of the Simpsons is on in ten minutes. Or we could just watch whatever you want." Jack strode to the window and grabbed a chair. He sat next to Daniel's bed, TV remote in hand, and zapped through the channels.

"You really don't have to stay," Daniel said for the third time. "And it's ok if you're mad at me. I should've paid attention."

"Yes, you should have. But it was an accident. Next time you'll know better."

"I got someone else injured, too."

Jack sighed. "Look. What do you want me to do? Ground you? Besides, the guy on the bike was coming directly at you. From his position he should've seen you coming down that hill and have had plenty of time to step on his brakes. He wasn't paying much attention either."

"I'm not really a kid," Daniel pointed out slowly. "I shouldn't act so reckless."

"You look pretty much like a kid from where I stand," Jack said. "Now stop worrying your head off. What's it gonna be? Simpsons or something else."

"Simpsons is fine." Daniel didn't see any point in arguing about whether or not he was a kid. That line had been blurry with his own Jack as well. Sometimes Daniel had been treated like an equal and other times more like a kid. Maybe he really was both, child and adult. It was unsettling. But he'd had enough time to get used to this weird mixture his life was now. Still... he wished he could switch on and off the kid – part, that he had more control over it.

After the Simpsons the News came on, followed by a hockey game between the Cannucks and the Black Hawks. Jack asked if Daniel would mind watching that and Daniel said no. So they watched the game and Daniel dozed off half way through it.

He came around to the lowered voices of Jack and Janet, arguing about something.

"...something worse happened to him."

"He's fine. A little sore and he bumped his head hard. What do you expect me to do? Put him on a leash?"

"You could have told him not to run for starters."

"For crying out loud, he's not a baby..."

"He could have cracked his skull open."

"We were in a park. Kids run in parks. We had a good time, he chased after the ball so fast, all I could do was yell when I saw the guy on the bike."

"You need to pay more attention."

"You're not seriously telling me this was my fault, are you?" Jack really sounded pissed now and Daniel held his breath.

There was a long pause, then Janet sighed. "No. No, I... I know it was an accident. But..."

"But you would've known how to avoid anything happening to him, right? Because women have the parenting gene and men are always careless, reckless and irresponsible. Is that it?"

"Jack..."

Daniel opened his eyes just a fraction to see what was going on when Jack didn't reply. He was standing at the window with his back to Janet. After a moment that seemed to stretch endlessly he turned around and Daniel quickly closed his eyes again.

"Look, forget it. I'm sorry. You're worried and..."

"And so are you." She sounded tired. "I'm a bit out of sorts. SG-6 came in today, bashed up badly."

"What happened?"

"They ran smack into a hostile situation and there were energy weapons involved. Left ugly burns. Colonel Michaels will be out of the woods if he makes it through the night. Major Stevenson is still critical..." She trailed off.

"What?"

"Captain Jager didn't make it back. They sent a team for S and R, but they're already three hours overdue for radio check in. A medical team is on stand by. Doctor Warner is there, but I have to get back to the mountain soon."

"Who did they sent?"

"SG-1."

_Sam!_

Daniel sat up too fast, causing his head and back to hurt. Wincing, he carefully settled down again. Janet was already at his side, asking him how he was and if he needed anything.

"I'm fine," Daniel replied. Not wanting them to know he'd been listening, he asked, "Can I have a glass of water, please?"

"Of course, sweetie. Colonel?"

Jack poured water from the pitcher on Daniel's nightstand into a waiting glass. "There you go."

Janet whipped out her penlight and shone it into Daniel's eyes, then bombarded him with the same questions the other doctor had asked him. Did he still feel sick, dizzy, did his head hurt...

Daniel answered her impatiently while all he really wanted to know was what had happened to SG-1. He glanced at Jack, but the colonel had put on a neutral, almost expressionless face, giving nothing away.

When Janet said good-bye Jack left the room with her. Daniel wanted to know what they were talking about. He was sure they were discussing SG-1's whereabouts. If he'd been home he'd have asked Jack what was going on. But he wasn't home and what was happening at the mountain wasn't his business anymore. So it wasn't a shock that Jack didn't tell him anything when he returned. He sat down again and pointed at the tray on Daniel's nightstand. "They brought you dinner while you were asleep."

"I'm not..."

"Eat," Jack ordered. "They said the meds won't go well on an empty stomach."

Daniel looked suspiciously at the pills in the small bowl next to his food. "What's that?"

"Ibuprofen. Janet told them you have an intolerance to Tylenol."

There was tomato soup, bread and green jell-o. The soup was cold, the bread looked dry and crumbled. They gazed at the food for a moment, then at one another and Jack raised his eyebrows. "What'd you like to eat?"

"What?"

"Pizza? Mac and cheese? The cafeteria is still open."

"Coffee?"

"Forget it."

"You don't have to get me anything. I can just eat the jell-o," Daniel said. He wasn't used to this Jack going out of his way to do things for him. It was kinda unsettling.

"Well, for your information, I didn't have dinner either. So tell me what you want."

"Mac and cheese sounds nice," Daniel said.

"I'll be right back. Stay in bed, okay?" Jack reached out, gently ruffled his hair and was out the door.

Daniel raised a hand to his head where Jack had just touched him and was overwhelmed by a wave of grief so strong, it took his breath away as his heart seemed to spasm. He curled up onto his bed and buried his face in the pillow, not able to fight the tears.

He missed Jack. Missed him so so badly. And at the same time he wanted so so much for this Jack to like him. What if he never did? What if he was just being nice because he knew Daniel would go away soon? This Jack would never be his Jack, but he was all the Jack he had.

All the family he had. Except they weren't family here.

Daniel knew this Jack didn't want him. He'd rather see him gone today than tomorrow. And Daniel couldn't stand this Jack ruffling his hair and playing nice and acting like he cared. Because he realized that he wanted this Jack to care. To really care. Not just pretend to care.

Why, oh why, had he touched that damn sphere?

**2**

Carrying a tray with two plates of Mac and Cheese and Seven UP cans, Jack left the elevator in the fifth floor. He hoped the nurse he'd talked to before he left had followed his orders and hadn't let anyone in or out Daniel's room.

When he entered, Daniel sat up and gave him the shadow of a smile. In the white neon overhead light his skin appeared waxen. Jack noticed the kid's red trimmed eyes and the balled up pile of Kleenex on the nightstand.

"Hey, what's up?" He placed the tray on the table by the window.

"Nothing. That smells good."

He put Daniel's plate on the overbed table of his night stand and settled on the chair, balancing his own dinner on his knees. He watched Daniel pick on his food for a while. "Eat up. Then you can take the pill and the pain should get better," he prompted.

"Okay," Daniel murmured and finally started eating.

Jack glanced at the small figure, wondering whether Daniel was in that much pain or if something else had caused him to cry while he'd been gone. "Are you okay?"

"Sure."

Jack continued to watch as Daniel ate his Macaroni without much appetite. Fraiser had been right. Jack was worried. And yes, he did feel guilty because he hadn't been fast enough to grab the kid before he'd knocked the biker over. Or before the biker had knocked him over. Whatever. He should have seen the stupid bike coming earlier.

Daniel could've broken his scrwany neck.

Crap.

_But he got lucky_, Jack reminded himself. _No need to panic now. It's over. _

Just like Charlie had been lucky with the gun.

Dammit, since the brat had showed up in Jack's life, all kinds of unwanted memories seemed to surface. What happened to Daniel was an accident and had nothing to do with Charlie deliberately taking Jack's gun.

But he was responsible for Daniel's safety. Just like he'd been responsible for Charlie. When all was said and done it didn't matter that Charlie had taken the gun out of the drawer, knowing it was the biggest no-no in the house... He was just a kid. Kids did stupid, dangerous things sometimes, not realizing how vast the consequences could be.

Jack should never have left the weapon unlocked in his office. He could've sworn it hadn't been loaded, but apparently he'd been wrong. The huge hole in his office wall had been the proof of that.

Yes, Jack had been mad. Had wanted to shake some sense into his son. To punish him. To make him realize he'd almost died. But his rage had been more self directed than anything. If Charlie had killed himself that day, Jack wouldn't have known how to live with the guilt. He wouldn't have known how to deal with losing his son.

Sara had swept Charlie into her arms, had taken him away, out of Jack's line of anger. And after a particularly nasty fight that night she had asked him to leave.

He'd never had a proper talk with Charlie about what had happened. They'd never had any closure. And he'd sometimes wondered if things would be different between them today if they had cleared the air back then. Instead Jack had left quietly and whenever Charlie came to visit it seemed they had drifted further apart from each other.

"Jack?" Daniel's voice pulled him out of his dark thoughts. He had eaten most of his dinner and was now merely playing with the cheese strings, pulling them apart and twirling them around the tines of his fork.

Kids...

"Do you think SG-1 will find the missing member of SG-6 and be back soon?"

_Oh, here we go... _When Daniel had startled out of his sleep Jack had suspected he'd been eavesdropping again. "I don't know," he answered. "But it's S and R. It's not unusual they couldn't be there for the check in. They're probably under fire, the gate might be guarded by Jaffa."

"Are you worried?" Huge blue eyes were searching his.

Jack took Daniel's plate and put it on the tray. "It's always bad when a team goes missing. But I wouldn't worry too much yet. Carter's a tough cookie and Mitchel'll have her six."

Of course there was the issue of Makepeace. Jack and Makepeace had never seen eye to eye. The man was too aggressive, too much of a hot head. He was arrogant and while he was a good fighter and a great strategist, he was too full of himself. And sometimes listening to your 2IC or even to your pain-in-the-ass civilian consultant was what saved the day. There were other, much more complex, issues Jack had with Makepeace. But the kid didn't need to know any of that.

"Aren't you wishing you were with them now?" Daniel asked softly.

_Oh, for crying out..._ "They'll make it. Don't worry." Which, of course, was easier said than done, even for Jack. God, he hated not being there in situations like this.

"Can't you tell me?" Daniel sounded sad.

"Tell you what?" Jack handed him the 7-Up. "Take your pill."

"What happened. To Teal'c. Why they took SG-1 from you."

"Daniel..."

"I know, I know, it's none of my business. But..."

"Let it go," he warned sharply.

But Daniel clutched his blanket with both hands as if it was his life saver and refused to lower his eyes under Jack's glare. "I just feel that, in a warped way, they're my friends, too. Not... not here. But where I came from." Daniel took a shaky breath. "I guess what I'm trying to say is; SG-1 was the one constant thing in my life and I can't imagine someone other being on the team than Teal'c, Sam and you. It's so unreal."

"It's classified," Jack said, voice gruff. "If I tell you I'd have to shoot you."

"You already told me how your Daniel died. What difference does it make if you tell me the rest? And by the way, it's not like I'm gonna tell anyone."

Jack grudgingly caught himself admiring the kid for his persistence. And Daniel being Daniel he wouldn't let this go for good unless Jack slapped him or at least gave him a helluva tongue lashing. And while part of him really wanted to shut the little bugger up, he found he couldn't.

Because maybe, in a weird way, Daniel really _had_ a right to know.

"Well, you better not. You should keep your head down. Because if anyone finds out you cheated on MacKenzie's tests they're gonna lock you up and throw away the key," he grabbed the opportunity to change the subject.

Daniel blushed, then all color drained from his cheeks in a flash. "What makes you think I cheated?" But the retort came out too quick.

"For someone who claims not to have all the memories of his former life intact, you definitely know too much," Jack said. "You might have fooled the quack, but I'm pretty sure," he tipped a finger against Daniel's temple, "there's a whole lot more in here than you make people believe."

"I..." Two red spots of embarrassment burned on Daniel's cheeks, but recovering quickly, he crossed his arms over his chest. "Then it doesn't really make a difference whether you tell me about Teal'c or not, right? No need to shoot me."

"Right," Jack said. "Take your pill and get some sleep."

"Jack?"

"And tomorrow, _maybe_, we'll talk." He waited until Daniel had swallowed his pill, then switched off the light. "Sleep tight. I'm right over there in the other bed."

"You're not leaving?" Jack didn't like the doubt he heard in the kid's voice.

"Nope. Can't risk the NID waltzing in here and kidnapping you."

"Oh." Daniel sighed. "You knew I cheated on those tests all along, didn't you? Did MacKenzie and Janet tell you? I knew I didn't do it very well. I gave a way too much information before I realized I hadn't traveled back in time, I couldn't just play all that dumb."

"I think MacKenzie bought it. He only saw you for those tests."

"But Janet didn't, huh?"

"Nope." Jack settled on the other bed.

"Do you... do you think the NID'll figure it out and kidnap me? Or get the president to sign a paper so you have to hand me over?"

"Not if you keep a low profile and act like a normal kid in public," Jack assured him, hoping that was true. "Now get some sleep." He crossed his arms behind his neck and waited for the inevitable continuing of questions. Daniel had never been a patient man and he sure wasn't a patient kid. His mind probably worked on overload all the time on a good day.

"Jack?"

There. He allowed himself a brief smile in the darkness of the room. "What?"

"Why are you doing this? Protecting me? You could very easily get rid of me by reporting what you know."

"I won't," Jack simply said.

Daniel frowned. "Okay. Thanks, I guess."

In an attempt to lighten the mood Jack said, "Oh, you know, if I turn you in, Janet's gonna wait for me on some dark street corner to put an end to my miserable life by sticking a poisonous needle in my butt."

To his relief Daniel let out something that could have been a giggle, maybe. "Good Night, Jack.

"Well, it's about time," Jack muttered. When Daniel didn't reply, he looked over at the other bed, but it was too dark to make out the boy's face. "You asleep finally?"

Daniel stayed silent.

Jack listened to the even breathing coming from the kid for a while. Finally he got up and tip toed over to his bed. Daniel's blanket had slipped down to his middle and Jack carefully pulled it up and over the sleeping boy's shoulders.

After one last look over from the doc and they were released to go home the next morning. Daniel was subdued on their drive home, but assured Jack he was 'fine' when asked if he was okay. Well, d'oh. Of course he was 'fine'. It was Daniel-speech for 'I'm angry/sad/injured/dead, but I'd rather bite off my tongue than tell you about it'.

Once Jack had checked out the house and turned on his shiny new alarm system, Daniel vanished into his room and Jack was sure he wouldn't see the kid again until lunch was ready.

He caught himself mulling over possible reasons for the kid's somber mood. Did he still feel guilty about the accident? Had something triggered memories of home and caused a depression? Maybe the bruises on his back hurt more than he wanted to admit.

Jack remembered the arnika gel in his bathroom he sometimes put on his bad knee when it was acting up or swollen. It might work for Daniel's back, too. He had seen the slightly blue and swollen spots near Daniel's spine this morning when the kid had dressed. The doc had said it were only minor bruises, but it probably still hurt.

Jack retrieved the gel and knocked at Daniel's door. "Hey, Daniel? I got something for your back here." He entered and waved the jar at the boy. "Might help with the swelling."

"Oh," Daniel said. He was sitting on his bed, apparently doing nothing. "Um, Jack?"

"Yeah? Take off your shirt. I'm gonna rub it in."

"Um..."

"I'll be careful. You can't reach it yourself."

"Okay." Daniel slowly pulled his blue t-shirt over his head, wincing as he did so.

"Hurts, huh?"

"A little." Daniel bit his lip and stared at his feet. Apparently admitting this much cost him a lot of willpower.

"This might be cold," Jack warned him as he carefully spread the gel over the bruised area. Daniel's whole body was bow-taut and he took in a sharp breath, but then relaxed slightly. "Okay?" Jack asked when he was done. "Feels better now, doesn't it?"

"Yes, thank you. Uh, Jack?" He pulled on his shirt again. "Can we talk now?"

"About?" He raised his eyebrows.

"Teal'c. SG-1."

Jack suppressed a frustrated sigh. He had hoped Daniel would have, well, forgotten about it. But of course that was wishful thinking. "You're one terrific pain in the mik'ta, you know that?"

"You promised we'd talk today."

"I said _maybe_."

Daniel considered this for a moment, then frowned. "When my Jack said 'maybe' it usually meant yes."

"Yeah? When I say maybe it means maybe or probably no." He knew he was in a very bad position here, but maybe if he barked loud enough and was really harsh about it, the brat would let it go.

No such luck.

Daniel suddenly snapped. "Okay. Ah, I've figured out by now that if you say 'no' it really means 'no'. But you said 'maybe'. And you're just stalling because you don't want to talk about it, period."

"Hey, smart mouth – The reason I can't talk about it to YOU in the first place is because it's classified. No matter how much you know, it's still none of your business." What had he been thinking last night? Even if – from some ethical point of view – Daniel had a right to know what had happened to Teal'c, Jack wasn't going to tell him. The short stuff was right. Jack didn't want to talk about it, period. And the less Daniel got involved in this, the better it was for the kid, too.

Daniel gave him the perfect 'you've got to be kidding me' glare Jack knew so well from the big version. "Oh, I see. Of course you'd be happily talking about it to others. To a shrink for example? Did they send you to see MacKenzie after you got those Marines killed and lost Teal'c?"

Jack's eyes narrowed. Daniel had admitted he'd overheard Kawalsky and Makepeace in the locker room talking about Teal'c. But... "What makes you think I'm seeing a shrink?"

"I assume they made you do counseling after what happened to Teal'c."

Damn, but the brat was smart. Carrying around a load of adult Daniel's memories probably would do that to a snotty 10 year old. "Remember those lines I told you not to cross? This is one of them so hold it. Right. There."

Daniel's eyes widened and for a hopeful moment Jack was sure he would drop it now.

Instead he recovered his ground pretty quickly and planted himself right in front of Jack, trying to make himself as tall as possible. "Jack, if you never talk about it, you'll never feel better. It'll always eat away at you and that's why you're so cynical and bitter. It's poisoning you from the inside out and you're probably feeling guilty because you... you... you're somehow responsible for losing Teal'c and getting those other men killed. But all the self loathing won't make it go away. It won't bring them back."

"Hey!"

"Wouldn't you talk to your Daniel about it?" The kid looked him straight in the eyes, not wavering, not backing off. How Jack had sometimes hated this about Daniel. The never backing up part. If Daniel thought something was worth fighting over, he did it even if it meant making Jack mad.

"And... and I think I can help you because I can listen," child-Daniel said more gently. That was something else about Daniel. He could be stubborn like a mule, but at the same time so sensible and passionate.

And sometimes Jack just had to fight Daniel back with all he had. To remind him it wasn't always that easy to change the world. Or people. Or the way things were. Or just because he'd hated it when Daniel made him vulnerable. And he was even more pissed about a kid making him feel vulnerable.

"How are _you_ supposed to help? Talking about it isn't going to bring either one of them back. It happened. It's done. Let it go."

"I don't know! Some cosmic joke got me stranded here and maybe it happened for a reason! How the hell should I know!"

"Watch that language, young man," Jack barked.

"I'm not scared of you," Daniel said, wrapping his arms around himself. Jack wondered if the kid was trembling with rage rather than with nervousness. "I know you only took me in because they made you. It's not my fault, though, they ordered you to babysit me. I didn't want to be here either. But I'm here now. And..." He swallowed and Jack sensed the act of willpower it cost the kid to finish his little tirade. "I... I'm the only Daniel you have now."

And an echo of Big Daniel in his head... _We looked into each others abyss. We were souls who recognized one another. You need to let the kid in. Don't shut him out._

**3**

Daniel wasn't scared of this Jack. He'd seen and gone through too many real scary situations to be afraid of him. He refused to be intimidated just because he appeared to be ten years old and this Jack was a lot more no-nonsense than his own Jack had been.

Yet, he expected to be told to stay in his room for the rest of his life. For some reason Daniel knew this Jack would be much less reluctant to discipline him than his own Jack had been. Probably because he hadn't known Daniel when he'd still been big. They didn't carry around the friendship vs paternal history.

But he wasn't scared.

Because last night he had realized this Jack wasn't all that different from his own. Daniel had concluded Jack was just very messed up. Maybe similar to the Jack O'Neill he had first met on Abydos. Not quite that bad probably, but... If Daniel had gotten through to _that _Jack, he was almost certain he'd get through to this Jack as well.

Jack didn't explode in his face. He didn't say anything at all for a while and Daniel felt the heat creep into his face. What if he'd just made a complete fool out of himself?

"Are you done?" Jack asked finally.

"I think so, yes."

"You sure you didn't forget to mention anything important?"

"You won't make me back off by being sarcastic either," Daniel replied. "I'm used to inappropriate sarcasm from my own Jack."

"Fine." Jack gestured at the bed. "Get comfy, this might take a while."

Daniel sat down and turned to face the man who looked like his best friend.

Jack continued to glare at him a moment longer, then sighed and shook his head. "I shouldn't be doing this."

"I need to know. Please?" Daniel bit his lip.

"Yeah, yeah, I get it." Jack settled in the desk chair and crossed his arms over his chest, mirroring Daniel's pose. "We had complaints about missing pieces of technology every once in a while some months before Daniel died. Always worlds SG-1 made first contact with. But they never had evidence we'd taken something. And whoever stole the dodads was very careful, not doing it too often and not taking too much at a time," Jack began.

"They are re-engineering things in a secret base on another planet," Daniel blurted out.

"What?"

"Makepeace is a mole. It happened in our universe, too."

Jack stared at him for a second and then nodded. "Well, I guess since he's in jail in your universe you guys had better luck dealing with this."

"He handed over stolen alien technology to a team of rogue scientists and military men. The NID is in on it. Maybourne was..."

"Maybourne?!"

Daniel jumped at Jack's shout. "Um, yeah, he was the head of the group, organizing everything, keeping track of the SGC's mission schedule so he knew where the teams went and where to find technology to steal."

"Damn." Jack surged from the chair and started pacing. "I knew it. I knew it was someone from the NID behind all this. But we never got a foot in the door with them. We had trouble calming the natives of the affected planets. The Asgard were breathing down our necks. Some of the worlds technology was stolen from were Asgard protected planets. The Tolians weren't happy campers either. But you probably know that."

Daniel nodded.

"Daniel made the connection between Makepeace and the missing doohickeys, pointing out on most worlds things had been taken it was SG-3 - Makepeace's team - doing the follow up visits to sign treaties. His people and several others were questioned. At one point the NID took over. Guess who was leading interrogations?"

"Maybourne."

"Right. He took it upon himself to question all teams. Hammond was fuming, but the NID had all the right papers signed. They arrested two majors from different SG units for treason and sent Makepeace back fully vindicated." Jack stopped pacing in the middle of the room and spun around, his face hard and angry. "The case was closed; they could present two felons. Our allies calmed down. Then Daniel found Imhotep's library. Or rather SG-3 returned from a mission giving Hammond the intel. Makepeace suggested Doctor Jackson should take a look at what they'd found."

"He set you up. Because you got too close to the truth," Daniel whispered. A cold hand grabbed his heart and squeezed it painfully.

"Daniel was all eager to go. He was practically drooling over the footage SG-3 brought through."

"But the library was there. It was real." Daniel felt a spark of interest. Imhotep's library. A well of knowledge and long lost history... he could imagine scrolls and tablets filled with writings and pictographs... How could his adult version not have wanted to grab the opportunity to visit a place like that?

Something must have shown on his face because Jack gave him a knowing look. "I bet that's right down your alley too, eh?"

"Uh..."

"Well, it was there and Daniel spent several hours playing in his sandbox. According to him the place was one of the greatest treasures we ever found. He convinced Hammond to give us several return visits and to bring home artifacts to study. It was on our third visit to the library that we ran into Trofsky's merry band of Jaffa. You know what happened next. They zatted us, took us to another planet, put us into a freezer and played their little scam on us. Question is; how? How did Makepeace manage to contact Hathor to set us up? The enemy of your enemy is my friend? But nobody knew where Hathor was at the time. So again, we had no proof Makepeace was behind all this. SG-1 returned home from Hathor's planet against all odds, except Daniel. There was no reason to believe the whole disaster was anything but a mission gone terribly wrong."

"How ironic. It was Makepeace who came to rescue us from Hathor's planet," Daniel murmured. "Back then he was still one of the good guys."

"Not here. It was Reynold's team that got us out. Makepeace was on another mission." Jack scrubbed a weary hand through his salt and pepper hair. "Then, about four months ago, SG-13 returned from a planet and reported they'd run into Trofsky. Apparently he'd made it from underling to system lord and was building his own little kingdom of hell. They also reported his army was still small and he was gathering followers and slaves. So he was pretty vulnerable at that point."

"What... what happened?"

"I lost it. That's what happened," Jack said quietly. "I beat down Hammond's door, telling him I'd go and free those people from Trofsky and put a dozen bullets into him along the way."

"He wouldn't okay the mission."

"He couldn't let us go on a revenge trip. Unless Trofsky's planet had some valuable resources of energy or technology there was no reason for us to interfere. Unless Trofsky turned out to be threat to Earth's safety – which he wasn't."

"So... you went there against direct orders from Hammond?" Piecing everything together was like working on his puzzle ball. But the picture was clearer now and Daniel didn't like what he was beginning to see.

"Yeah," Jack said, staring out the window, his back stiff and tense. "Trofsky had to pay for what he did to Daniel. That, and I figured he could tell us who set us up on the Imhotep planet. I wanted to nail Makepeace. I was sure he'd sold us all to Hathor to get rid of us. And that he was behind the technology theft. I talked to T and Carter about pulling this off without authorization. We've done it before and gotten away with it. When we had those armbands... "

"I remember that," Daniel murmured. "It was really cool as long as they worked. Too bad they stopped working in the middle of the mission."

"Hey, we were SG-1 and as long as the outcome was worth the trouble they'd let us get away with anything. T agreed with me, Carter, not so much. I couldn't order her to join us on this one and she came down on me pretty hard for even considering going on some revenge trip." Jack shook his head. "She was right. But she's also loyal to SG-1, so in the end she agreed to come along."

Daniel blinked. "She did?" Well, of course she did. SG-1 stood and fell together. If one of them was in trouble – all of them were. That's how it had been at home and apparently it had been the same here once.

"We went on our next mission as scheduled. Some simple recon, nothing important. We had a team of marines with us as back up. Once we gated to the planet we were supposed to go, Teal'c and I revealed our plan and told everyone to proceed with the planned mission while we'd go and get Trofsky by his... get Trofsky. Two of the marines immediately shot all orders to netu and joined us. Carter was siding with us, but I knew she was uncomfortable and heck she had a brilliant career ahead of her. So I zatted her along with the remaining marines to keep them from following us, and moved out. I'm not sure what ticked her off more. That Teal'c and I went on this trip or that we went without her."

"Wow," Daniel murmured. "I can't believe you'd go on a vendetta risking your team's life."

"It wasn't supposed to be a suicide mission. From the intel SG-13 gave us it should've been a piece of cake."

"Except for your personal consequences because you disobeyed a direct order and then deserted to go on a revenge trip," Daniel said dryly.

"There's that." Jack shrugged.

"And all just because of... " Daniel was about to say 'because of me' but caught himself in time and ended the sentence with, "... your Daniel?"

When Jack didn't reply to that, Daniel asked, "What happened?"

"We were ambushed on our way to the palace. SG-13 did a crappy recon or Trofsky's troops were hidden someplace they didn't know about. The snake had a damn army on his hands. And the most interesting part? They were waiting for us in the forest. That wasn't a patrol we ran into, it was a trap."

"How..."

"I don't know. Maybe they weren't waiting for us. Maybe they were waiting for someone else. Fact is, those bastards were everywhere. We fought our way back to the gate, the two marines went down as I was dialing out. Teal'c was covering my six."

"And then...?"

"He was ringed up."

"By whom?" Daniel asked breathlessly.

"I don't know. When they took Teal'c I wanted to stay and hide in the forest. My plan was to wait till it was dark and get into the palace. I had to find someone who knew where they'd taken Teal'c. But I got hit by a staff blast. My only option was to get out of there when the gate opened."

"There was nothing you could've done for Teal'c." Dainel said, his mouth dry. It was a lie. Jack should never have gone to that planet in the first place. And they both knew it.

Ignoring Daniel, the colonel continued, "There ended my brilliant plan of revenge. You know the rest. I was grounded from gate travel and commanding an SG unit. Makepeace got Carter under his command. The only reason I'm still on base and not in the brig or retired is thanks to Hammond and Fraiser. The doc wrote in her medical report I'm bonkers, but with the right counseling I'd get over it. Something about working through my grief and anger. Hammond convinced the Joint Chief he still needs me on base and so I'm on probation for six months and if I'm a good boy and keep a low profile I'll keep my job and rank."

"You have to do something, Jack!" Daniel jumped to his feet. "We need to call General Hammond and tell him what I know. About Maybourne and Makepeace."

"We don't have evidence," Jack said curtly. "That you figured it out in your universe means squat here. We can't nail Maybourne or Makepeace based on your story."

"You could find their base."

Jack's eyes narrowed, his gaze locking with Daniel's. "You have a gate address?"

Daniel shook his head. "No. Jack went there alone. The rest of SG-1 had no idea what was going on at the time and we didn't get to see the reports. So, no, I don't know the gate address." He swallowed the lump of frustration in his throat.

Jack threw up his hands. "Well, there goes nothing then."

"But you could question them. You could..."

"Look, you wanted to know, now you know. Unless we find proof for what Makepeace is up to and that Maybourne is the head honcho, there's nothing we can do. Hammond's hands are tied and I kicked myself out of the game." Jack looked like he wanted to say something else, but then just grimaced and turned, making his way to the door.

"But... don't you think we should at least try to stop Makepeace and Maybourne from continuing to steal technology."

Jack paused, hand on the door handle. "The case is closed. There weren't any more incidents."

"They only stopped to bide their time. They'll start again. Or at least they're back engineering everything they've stolen so far. You could find the missing technology and return them to your allies." Why was it so hard to make Jack see he was right? Couldn't this stubborn man see Daniel had a point?

"I'm grounded from gate travel. They had their scapegoat, there's no reason to start another investigation."

Daniel took a deep breath. "Let me ask you something, Jack. If it turns out there are still moles at the SGC and that there's a secret off world base where they're back engineering technology. If it turns out I was right and you ignored everything I told you, how are you gonna feel?"

"Daniel..." It came out like a growl. Daniel knew the many different ways Jack could say his name. His own Jack had made a simple 'Daniel' sound like a warning, a scolding, a synonym for 'I'm yanking your chain', a comforting whisper. "Daniel" could be mischievous or conspiratorial, funny or serious.

Apparently this Jack had the "Daniel" code down pat as well. At least the annoyed parts.

"Jack..." Daniel countered in his own version of the 'listen to me, I'm serious' voice.

"Daniel, don't..."

"Don't cross the line, yes, I know. But don't you see? You're wallowing so much in your own self pity, you won't even TRY to do something!"

Jack spun around, his eyes shooting daggers. "That's enough. You're way out of line!"

"But, Jack..."

"I don't want to hear any more whining, you got that?"

"I'm not whining! I'm trying to make you listen."

"And I don't want to hear it."

"I know you don't. But all you have to do is call Hammond and tell him what I've told you. If he won't listen you at least tried. It won't bring Daniel or Teal'c back, but..."

"Daniel, so help me, if you don't shut up right now..."

They glared at one another, the unspoken threat hanging between them like a thunderstorm waiting to happen.

"You know I'm right," Daniel finally said. "Go ahead and smack me..."

"Don't think I'm beyond that!" But Jack wasn't moving towards him and, what was more important, he wasn't leaving. Despite his anger, Jack was still here, talking to him instead of just walking out and slamming the door shut. It gave Daniel the courage to go on.

"The Jack I knew wouldn't give up. The Jack I knew trusted me even if he wasn't happy with what I had to say. And he'd do anything for his team, for the people under his command. He wouldn't just sit at home feeling sorry for himself!"

"I hate to break it to you, brat, but I'm not your Jack," Jack said acidly. "He might have been some boy scout kinda guy who always did the right thing for the right reasons. Sorry, but I'm just the black sheep of the SGC."

Bristling with ire and hurt, Daniel balled his hands into fists. "That's not true! You're more like him than you know. At least you must've been before you went on that stupid revenge trip! I don't know why you'd ever think your Daniel would appreciate that you went out there and tried to kill a Goa'uld to revenge his death. I'm sure your Daniel would be mad at you for throwing away your career and..."

"That's it! This conversation is over! You'll stay in your room. I don't want to see you anywhere for the rest of the day, is that clear?!"

Daniel swallowed the rest of his tirade. He had never seen Jack so mad. Not even this one. His eyes were like black stones and his jaw was set so tight, Daniel thought it might break any moment.

He didn't dare look at the furious man, but he had one more thing to say.

"I'm sorry you're hurting so much, Jack. I wish I could make you feel better."

"God, why am I listening to this crap?" The door was slammed so hard, it seemed to quiver on its hinges.

_That went well_, Daniel thought as he sat on his bed staring out the window without seeing anything. Tears were threatening, and he angrily wiped at his eyes.

Everything was upside down. He had come from a reality in which Jack was dead and now he'd found another Jack, but everything else was even worse than it had been in his own universe. Sam was MIA, Teal'c had probably been killed... and why had this Jack gone out on a whim to kill a Goa'uld? Throwing away his career and the rest of his team for a revenge act that wouldn't bring this Daniel back? How could this Jack be so stupid? Didn't he know he was needed. To fight the Goa'uld.

Suddenly Daniel realized he'd only traded one dead Jack for another dead Jack. This Jack was dead inside, not quite like a zombie, but close. Yet, there HAD to be a way to resurrect him. To make him listen. Somehow.

SG-1 wasn't the same without Jack as their leader. Or without Teal'c and Sam on it. Daniel thought of himself as replaceable. They could have found another civilian consultant. But destroying everything Jack had worked for in the past few years? Just like that? Daniel couldn't wrap his head around it no matter how hard he tried.

Unless there was something Jack wasn't telling him. And of course, Daniel wasn't this Jack's best buddy. It wasn't that much of a stretch to assume this Jack was holding something back.

Daniel wished he was big. He'd drive to the mountain and talk to Hammond himself. He'd tell him everything he knew and Hammond would listen to him and interrogate Makepeace again. But of course that wouldn't work, because he was a ten year old boy. They wouldn't even put him through to Hammond on the phone.

He was stuck in his room and there was not a thing he could do about it.

**4**

The whiskey burned a hot trail down Jack's throat into his stomach. He swirled the amber liquid in his glass and put it on the ground next to his chair, wishing he'd brought a cold beer instead of the Jack Daniels. The night was hot and humid, the air loaded with electricity the way it would be before a thunderstorm. Or maybe it was just his own tension making the hairs on his skin rise and giving him goose bumps despite the heat.

Jack rubbed his tired eyes and stared up at the stars. They seemed to be too bright tonight, almost accusingly glaring down at him.

He leaned forward and squinted through his telescope, trying to find Abydos. Old habits die hard. For a brief moment he wondered if the kid would like to come up here and do some stargazing some night. He had to miss Abydos sometimes. Jack's Daniel had missed it. He should have gone to visit his adopted family more often. But there had never been enough time.

Never enough time for other things either. There'd always been something coming up... always something keeping them from tying up lose ends. From saying the things they'd wanted to say.

Things _Jack_ had wanted to say, but never had. Never could.

Water under the bridge.

He leaned back, picked up his glass and held it out to the sky. "To you, Danny-boy," he muttered, took a sip and smacked his lips. "Ya know, the brat's right. I'm feeling sorry for myself. And you'd be mad as hell if you'd knew I tried to rip Trofsky's balls off. But hey, it seemed a good idea at the time. You should've seen the glee in Teal'c's eyes. He likes revenge. Blood for blood, a warrior's honor and all that crap."

_Jack..._

"Shut up, you're not real. You're just in my head."There was no answer. Of course there wasn't. Jack didn't believe in ghosts. No matter how 'real' the Daniel voice sounded, it wasn't Daniel.

Yet, Jack went on.

"Peachy, huh? It needs a snotty kid telling me to get my head outta my ass and move on. How sad is that?" Sure, he had decided to get his life back on track before Daniel confronted him this morning. Had even told Janet so. But until now his only motivation for going back through the gate had been just another version of his own thirst for vengeance.

Mini Daniel's little speech had been like a bucket of ice water poured over Jack's head. Oh, he'd known all those things before. That he should never have given in to the hate and self destroying wish to make someone pay for his Daniel's death. That he should never have put his team in jeopardy. That his Daniel would never have approved of Jack's actions. That hadn't been news. But having it spelled out to you – by a kid of all people – was something else. And made it much harder to ignore.

"I know the kid is right. It won't bring you back. But killing a Goa'uld is never a bad thing." He took another careful drink.

He blinked as a shooting star raced across the sky. He vaguely recalled something about meteor showers in the news this morning as another one burned up in the atmosphere, leaving a bright tail of light in the darkness before it vanished somewhe at the horizon. He remembered the meteor showers on Edora. They'd called them fire rain. And it had been quite a show, much more spectacular than here on Earth. Well, a lot more dangerous, too. Teal'c had said the Jaffa called it tal'pak'rye, which meant falling star. And no, Jack wouldn't admit he had memorized that.

For a brief moment he allowed himself to think of Laira. Her inviting lips and soft skin. He had liked her from the start and she'd kept him sane when the Edora Gate had been buried. He could've made a life on Edora, maybe have had another child, been a real father for a change. But when Teal'c came to the rescue he'd realized it had just been a nice dream. When SG-1 had come through to take him home, Jack was ready to leave and Laira had known and let him go.

But unlike what everyone thought, he hadn't come home because he'd missed his job. Or Carter. Jack had heard the gossip around the watercooler about him and his very attractive and witty 2IC. For heaven's sake, Carter wasn't stupid enough to get mooney-eyed over her CO. And hopefully she had better taste in men. Well, he liked his job and his team had top priority. But the most urgent reason he hadn't stayed on Edora wasn't SG-1, Carter, the SGC or the importance of saving the world.

He watched another falling star.

He sometimes wondered if Daniel had known. Jack didn't allow his mind to go there often. Because there was no point in dwelling on missed opportunities and unresolved issues. Daniel was gone. No turning point. Even if Daniel had known, he'd never acted on it. Just like Jack had never said or done anything to give away his feelings.

Feelings that he crept up on Jack slowly and undetected in their first year of working together. Until Jack had realized he was smitten. Totally gone. Head over heels. And even that revelation had come in through the back door, seeping into his consciousness oh-so-very-subtly. He couldn't tell when the casual touching, the hair tousles, the shoulder clapping, the neck squeezes had become sensual, it just happened. Couldn't recall when watching Daniel in the showers in the locker room had turned into stolen moments of looking, imagining and want... and had ended almost immediately because Jack couldn't shower with Daniel anymore once his body had caught up with his mind and wouldn't behave with a naked archeologist in the same room.

But being with Daniel would have been even worse than starting something with Carter. So Jack had bottled it up, swallowed it, and tried to carry on as usual.

Until it was too late and Jack was left behind with too many regrets to count.

Whatever chance there had been of the two of them coming together and being more than just friends had died with Daniel.

Jack could only stare at the night sky and let his thoughts wander. There wasn't a grave he could go to. Daniel's body had been sent to Abydos and buried there. So maybe that's why Jack still came up here. To try and find a connection. Because this was the place they had spent time together outside the mountain.

He was an old fool who couldn't let go of the past. And that from a man who hated clichés with a passion. The brat was right. He'd been a sorry excuse of himself ever since... ever since Daniel had died.

"Damn you, Daniel," Jack muttered hoarsely into the silence of the warm summer night.

Another star fell.

Later, after Jack had finished his tour through the house, making sure the alarm system was set and all doors and windows were locked, he quietly opened the door to Daniel's room. He hesitated before entering, feeling like an intruder, before he walked in and stopped at the bed.

Daniel had spent all day in his room as ordered, except for dinner where they hadn't spoken a word while they were brooding over canned soup and bread. After dinner Daniel had silently disappeared again.

Now Jack feared he had destroyed what little bond there had been blossoming between him and the boy with his outburst.

Daniel was curled up on his side, the comforter tightly pulled around himself like coocoon.

"I'm sorry, kiddo," he whispered into the dark room. As if reacting to his voice Daniel sighed in his sleep. Jack brushed a strand of hair out of the boy's face. He let out a muffled little moan, stirred briefly and settled again.

Just as Jack left the room and carefully closed the door, the phone rang.

It was long after midnight and the ringing seemed too loud in the stillness of the house. He hurried back to his living room and picked up the receiver, knowing it could only be the mountain at this time of night. One look at the caller ID confirmed his assumption.

"Colonel?" It was Fraiser. "I thought you'd like to know that SG-1 has returned."

_Thank god_, he thought as he slumped on the couch gripping the phone more tightly. "Carter?"

"She'll be fine. She took a hit from an energy weapon, but she's conscious and her burns are only minor. Mitchell has a couple of bruises, too. Colonel Makepeace is well and they brought Captain Jager home. He's been tortured, but he'll make it."

"Thanks for letting me know, Doc."

"You're welcome." She paused and then added, "Colonel, Sam wants to talk to you. It seems to be pretty urgent."

_Come on, O'Neill_, he thought. _This can't be so hard_. He kicked himself mentally and said, "I'll be there in the morning." He needed to talk to someone about Daniel's theory regarding Makepeace anyway. And Carter was the perfect person to start.

"You will?" She sounded doubtful, which didn't surprise him. He and Carter hadn't talked outside of duty to each other in months. "You'll talk to her? Just like that?"

"Yeah. I'll have to bring the kid though."

"That's fine. I'll treat him to ice cream at the commissary." He could hear the smile in her voice as they said good-bye and hung up.

And somewhere in the back of his head he could feel his Daniel's approval, like an echo.

_It's about time. _

Daniel sat up in bed, knuckling his eyes, and greeted Jack with a scowl when he stuck his head through the open door after he'd knocked. "What time is it?"

"Seven thirty. Breakfast is ready," Jack said, hoping he could get away with pancakes as a peace offering.

Daniel yawned. "Why do we have to be up that early?"

"We're going to the mountain. Get dressed."

Daniel peeled himself out of his blanket and swung his legs out of bed. The frown deepened. "Do I have to pack my stuff? It's okay if I have to move back to the SGC. You're probably still mad."

It took Jack a moment to realize what the boy was talking about. Shaking his head he hurried to reassure him. "No, nothing like that." He paused a moment, wondering if Daniel was relieved or annoyed he didn't have to leave. But he just looked at him expectantly. Jack leaned against the doorjamb and said, "I thought you might want to say hi to Carter."

Daniel stared for a moment longer. A tentative smile formed on his face. "She's back? Is she all right?"

"She's in the infirmary, but the doc said it's nothing too serious. She'll be fine."

"And we're going to visit her?" The smile on Daniel's face widened at Jack's nod and then crumpled and was replaced by sadness. "Oh, she probably doesn't want to see me. She doesn't even know me very well. I keep forgetting that. I was just so worried."

Aw, crap. Jack couldn't stand the crestfallen look on the kid's face. He crossed the room and sat on the bed next to him. "Hey," he carefully nudged the boy with his elbow, "I'm pretty sure she'll be happy to see you. Do you know Carter's favorite flowers? Our Daniel used to remember stuff like that."

"She likes lilies. And roses," Daniel murmured.

"Nice. Let's pick up a bouquet of flowers on our way in. I'm sure she'd like that. She doesn't get pampered that often. Usually it was Daniel who..." Jack trailed off and pulled a face.

"I know," the kid said dryly.

"C'mon. Maybe the two of you should get to know each other better. Besides, Janet wants to feed you ice cream at the commissary."

The boy squinted up at him. "Are you sure? I mean... and what about you? Why are you suddenly going to see her? You told me she's mad at you."

"She wants to talk to me," Jack said. "And maybe it's about time I indulge her. Now stop interrogating me and get dressed."

Daniel didn't move. "Are you going to talk to General Hammond, Jack?"

_Stubborn little bratling_, Jack thought with more affection than he was comfortable with. "First we'll go and see Carter."

"Because if you won't, I will."

"And what makes you think he's gonna listen to you?"

"I'm reasonable," Daniel said simply.

"Get dressed, Mister Reasonable," Jack ordered and rose from the bed. "I'm gonna start eating pancakes now. If you want some you better hurry."

Daniel picked the flowers for Carter's bouquet and Jack had to admit the kid had taste. The snow white lilies and pink little roses looked pretty with the yellow snap dragons and green fern. He was sure Carter would love it and Daniel gave him a shy grin as he told him so.

She looked exhausted and almost as pale as the pristine white gaze taped to her brow. Dark circles underneath her tired blue eyes told of pain and little restful sleep. Her right arm was covered in bandages and her left cheekbone bore a purple bruise that made Jack cringe when they entered the infirmary.

"Carter," he greeted her awkwardly.

"Sir. Hi." She sounded guarded, but her eyes searched his and he held her gaze.

"Here's someone who wants to see you."

Next to him Daniel was clutching the bouquet of flowers and nervously licking his lips. He gave the boy a gentle push when he stopped dead in his tracks in the middle of the room.

She smiled at the kid and her eyes lit up when she noticed the flowers. "Daniel," she said softly. "They're beautiful."

"I...," he began, a blush spreading over his face, "I thought you might like these. My... my Sam does."

"I do, too. Thank you."

He put the bouquet carefully into her arms and she buried her nose in it for a moment, inhaling deeply. "Awww, smells lovely. Like summer." Then she leaned back, cradling the white, pink and yellow flowers with her uninjured arm. "Why don't you see if you can find a nurse. We need a vase for these."

"Okay," Daniel said and scurried out.

Jack shifted uncomfortably, his hands jammed into the pockets of his jeans. "How ya doin'?"

"I've been better," she said. "But I've been worse, too."

"What happened?"

"I took a hit when we freed Captain Jager. It's not that bad. I covered Colonel Makepeace and Mitchell when they opened Jager's cell." She winced as she tried to sit up and Jack adjusted the head of her bed. "Thanks." She sighed as she settled against it. "Everything hurts."

"Ouch," he said in sympathy and she smiled; her first genuine smile for him in a very long time.

Daniel returned with a vase, placed it on her nightstand and arranged the flowers in it. When he was satisfied with his work he stepped back and gazed at Carter. "Your hair is pretty that way," he blurted out.

She laughed. "Oh, thank you, but I doubt it's very pretty right now. They haven't let me take a shower yet because of the burn and the gash." She pointed at the gaze on her forehead.

Daniel blushed. "Um, I'm sorry. It's just, my Sam always wears it very short and I'm still not quite used to... yours."

"That's okay, Daniel. I'm not quite used to you either, yet." She motioned for him to come closer and Jack brought two chairs over. They sat down and Sam said, "I'd like to know more about your universe. If you don't mind talking about it, that is."

"Sure. I can tell you whatever you want to know if I can answer it."

"I don't even know where to start. Will you be coming to the mountain with Colonel O'Neill when his leave is over? We could have some ice cream at the commissary or I could show your my lab."

"No, I won't." Daniel said.

"Yes, he will." Jack said.

They looked at each other and Jack made a vague gesture with his hand. "I've been thinking about it. Maybe he can help out in linguistics. Until we find a permanent place for him to live." In fact he hadn't thought about it until now, but the idea didn't seem so out there suddenly.

"But you said the base is no place for a kid. And General Hammond doesn't want me here either," Daniel pointed out, puzzled. "Even Janet said I can't be here."

"There's that. But I have to go back to work soon and you can't stay home alone."

"I could," Daniel said. "I'm old enough."

"You can't and you won't."

"We have an alarm system. It'd be safe."

Jack was still counting backwards from ten when Carter asked, "So, you don't want to work here?"

Daniel blinked. "Ah, yes, I'd love to. But I don't think they'll let me."

"Maybe the colonel can put in a word for you," she said with a little wink. "For some reason General Hammond likes him."

The kid was about to reply when Janet rushed in and announced she was taking a break now. Carter thanked Daniel again for the flowers as the doc put an arm around his shoulder and led him out, chattering about ice cream.

"He's keeping you on your toes." Carter grinned.

"He has his moments," Jack muttered.

"Makepeace is on leave for the next two weeks," she said after a pause.

"Good for him." Jack picked up a book from her nightstand and flipped through the pages without looking at the contents. Instead he watched her and she returned his gaze briefly before she stared at the closed door. "We need to talk."

"I'm here."

"Yes, you are. Thanks for coming." When he didn't offer a reply, she continued, "You were right about Makepeace."

"I know that." He couldn't keep the sarcastic tinge out of his voice.

Her lips twitched into something that wasn't quite a smirk. "I guess I deserve that. For not believing you."

"Oh, you believed me. You just wanted proof."

She opened her mouth, probably to object, but then admitted, "I didn't want anyone else involved. You said it yourself, sir. Without evidence we couldn't nail them. Someone had to do it. And you were grounded to base so you wouldn't have been of any help." Her voice dropped near freezing point at the last sentence.

_Oh, here we go again... _He leaned forward, piercing her with his eyes. "The fact I screwed up doesn't mean you had to start your own little covert op on Makepeace, Major. He could kill you out there. Staying on SG-1 was one of the stupidest things you could've done."

Because when all was said and done that was what it came down to. Carter had been given the choice to sign on to another unit when SG-1 was given to Makepeace. Jack had been furious when she'd requested to stay on the team. When he'd asked her what the hell she was thinking, she frostily pointed out that Colonel Makepeace was above suspicion. The NID had questioned him and found him innocent, so why shouldn't she trust him. Oh, he had seen through her smokescreen right away and when he'd called her on it, she had accused him of being paranoid and angry because she'd gone on with her life and career while he apparently chose to throw away his own. _One thing led to another_ and she had stomped out of his office in a very un-Carter-like manner.

Not that he could blame her. She had barely kept her temper in check since he'd zatted her and gone for his vengeance with Teal'c in tow. His disapproval of her actions regarding Makepeace had just been the straw that broke the camel's back.

He'd known she had been up to something and wanted to keep him out of it. He even understood her motives. But he was still pissed that she'd put herself in danger while he couldn't watch her six. Makepeace was a rat. He was responsible for Daniel's death and Jack had been sure he would find a way to kill Carter, too, if he caught her spying on him.

"He trusts me," she said defiantly. "I saved his butt several times over the last four months. And I dropped a couple of hints about how frustrating it is not to get my hands on proper technology to study because most of our allies won't share with us."

"And he bought that?" Jack shook his head.

"Apparently he did. I wanted to tell you before this mission, but you were on leave and I couldn't just show up at your house in case he's tailing me, or has people who are."

"And me sitting here with you isn't suspicious?" He raised an eyebrow. "Ever heard of security cams?" The cameras didn't record audio, but if Makepeace suspected Carter being on the same page with Jack, them sitting here sticking their heads together might proof his point. It was no secret that Major Carter and Jack were at odds with each other for a while now.

"They're off," she said with a rather smug grin.

Jack craned his neck to get a look at the camera at the ceiling in the corner. The red light indicating that the camera was on didn't blink. The camera didn't move either. "What the...?"

"Siler owed me one. He's running a maintenance and diagnostic check on the cameras. They'll be off for another hour."

"Nice." Jack relaxed and settled back in his chair. "So? What's going on."

"He asked me out last week and we went to O'Malley's."

"Who? Siler?" Jack couldn't resist.

She rolled her eyes. "Makepeace. We had a couple of jell-o shots and beers and he asked me if I was interested in a little extra assignment."

"As in?"

"Apparently there's a place where, and I quote," she made an air quotation sign with the fingers of her left hand, "a brilliant physicist will find the most incredible technology to study and back engineer." She shrugged. "He hasn't said anything specific yet, gave me some time to think about it. If I am interested I'm supposed to let him know by the end of his leave. He did mention it wasn't exactly legal, but we're backed up from the higher ups. Very cryptic."

"NID," Jack said. "Maybourne might be the one involved in this."

She frowned. "How'd you figure that?"

"Well, Daniel told me an interesting story yesterday..."

**5 **

Daniel finished the last bit of his chocolate ice cream and gave Janet a genuine smile. "This was great. Thanks."

"My pleasure, Daniel. I can't think of a nicer way to spend my break."

He knew she was just being nice, but it felt good nevertheless. "I'm glad Sam is okay," he said.

"Me too." She patted his hand. "You were close to your Sam, weren't you?"

"Yes. All of SG-1 was like family," he said sadly.

"It used to be like that here. I'm glad the colonel is finally talking to her. It's about time."

"Me too." Daniel hoped that Jack would stop hurting so much once he had talked to Sam. Or that he'd find some peace if they were able to sort out their issues.

"You're worried about him too, huh? I don't know how much he told you, but that he's talking to Sam is a very good thing. For both of them." She gave him a somber smile. "You're so much like him. Like our Daniel was. I wouldn't be surprised if it's thanks to you the colonel starts coming out of his isolation. Daniel always brought out the best in him."

"I don't know. Mostly I'm making him mad."

She leaned across the table and squeezed his hand. "He is treating you alright though, isn't he? You're not too unhappy there?"

Daniel thought about it for a moment and then shrugged. "It's not too bad, I guess. He's kind of strict." He didn't want to tell her what had happened yesterday. It had been a bit unnerving when Jack had been so outraged. But somehow Daniel knew Jack would never hurt him. Not even this one. It probably was the echo of his deep trust in his own Jack, making him so sure, but it also had to do with the accident from two days ago.

Recognizing the signs from his own Jack, Daniel was sure the colonel had been worried when he'd crashed into that bike at the park. He had snapped at him, but he'd also stayed with him and he'd brought him dinner and made him take his meds. Jack stuff. Not as mother henning as his Jack had been, but ... And he'd known about Daniel faking MacKenzie's test and kept quiet about it. It was probably childish and needy to have hopes like that, but the kid-part of Daniel still wished that underneath it all, this Jack was more like his own had been.

"Hon, I'm sorry I spoiled the mood," Janet said. "I didn't mean to make you sad."

"Oh, it's okay. I was just thinking about... stuff. I'm fine," he assured her.

While they talked about Cassie's summer camp plans and joked about the similarity of commissary food in both their universes, Daniel's eyes wandered over to the double doors just as a red haired woman entered, followed by a lean man with mousy dark hair and a pointy face. They made their way through the row of tables and went to the counter for coffee, talking to each other with lowered voices. The woman's face was pinched, as if she was arguing over something with her companion.

Daniel craned his neck to have a better look. He knew those two somehow.

"Janet?" He lowered his voice so the newcomers wouldn't hear him. There weren't many people in the commissary this morning, so it was relatively quiet. "Who's that? Over there at the coffee machine?"

Janet put sugar into her coffee as she glanced at the pair Daniel had indicated. "That's Lt. Kershaw and Colonel Grieves. They're on SG-13."

Daniel barely kept the gasp from slipping out as adrenalin shot through him. Of course! Those were the two officers his Jack had brought back through the gate and arrested when he revealed the scheming of Maybourne and Makepeace.

Kershaw and Grieves.

What had Jack told him? '_We were ambushed on our way to the palace. SG-13 did a crappy recon or Trofsky's troops were hidden someplace they didn't know about. The snake had a damn army on his hands. And the most interesting part? They were waiting for us in the forest. That wasn't a patrol we ran into, it was a trap.'_

Daniel grabbed Janet's hand. "I need to talk to General Hammond, Janet. Could you please take me to his office?"

"Why? Daniel, are you all right?"

"Yes. I just remembered something from my own universe he should know about," he said urgently. "Please, Janet, it's really important." He knew he should probably go and see Jack first, but he suddenly feared a re-run of yesterdays reaction. And Jack was probably still talking to Sam and wouldn't want to be disturbed right now... maybe, probably... Whatever, Daniel had a feeling Hammond really needed to hear what he had to say.

She must have seen the alarm in his eyes because she refrained from asking further questions and pushed her chair back. "Let's go."

**6**

"Holy Hannah," Sam blurted out when Jack had finished Daniel's tale. "Colonel Maybourne? From what Makepeace told me at O'Malley's, I assumed someone from the NID was involved, but I didn't think it went so high up."

"We can't be sure everything is the same in our universe," Jack reminded her.

"No, we can't. Maybe it's Simmons here. Or Kinsey." She chuckled without humor. "Wouldn't that be a hoot? If we could get rid of Kinsey by proving he's the head of a rouge organization? They'd fry him for treason."

"Kinsey's way too careful to risk his neck like that," Jack said with some regret.

"Well, we know to be even more careful now. I can give you names and details as soon as Makepeace takes me to his underground base," Carter said.

"You seriously want to go through with this?"

"Do you have a better idea, sir? If you do, I'd love to hear it."

"No, I don't. But I don't like you being out there with some rouge team and geeks without back up," he growled.

"I'm a big girl, Colonel." She sounded a bit snippy and he raised an eyebrow in return. Should she ever be his 2IC again, he'd have to make sure that wouldn't turn into a habit.

"That's not the point, Major." He glanced at the security cam, realizing they had to end their visit soon. "If something goes wrong you're on your own. I won't be able to go after you and Hammond has no idea what you're up to." He stood and stretched his back. "Which is why I'm going to talk to him ASAP."

"I'd rather you wait until I have more proof," she said.

"Nope. You're on to something. It's enough to report to the man. If you're going to dig deeper, Hammond needs to know. Combined with what the kid had to share, we might actually nail them sooner or later."

"Hook, line and sinker," she agreed.

"Fishing terms, Carter? I'm shocked." He allowed himself a smirk and she returned it.

"Sir?" She rubbed her temple and he noticed how exhausted she looked. "Thanks for... you know... stopping by."

"I was in the neighborhood." He shrugged it off with a little smile. They might be far from okay, but it was good talking to her again he realized as he strode towards the exit.

"Colonel O'Neill, Major Carter..." General Hammond almost shoved the door into Jack's face when he burst in, the doc and Daniel in tow. "I believe we have a couple of issues to discuss."

Fraiser brushed past the general and took Carter's pulse after a good look at her pale face and tired eyes. "I know this has priority, sir, but Major Carter is my patient first of all. She needs rest. Don't stay longer than absolutely necessary." She gave each of them a stern look and rushed out, her high heels clicking on the concrete floor.

Jack resisted the ridiculous urge to salute and holler, "Yes ma'am!" after her.

Instead he fixed his eyes on the mini version of Daniel Jackson, currently perched on his chair next to Carter's bed, intently gazing at the flower bouquet. Jack went over and tapped him on the shoulder. "Oh, Daniel?"

Slowly the blond head turned and blue defensive eyes returned Jack's look. "I had to talk to him," was all the kid felt compelled to say.

"You couldn't wait until I went to see the general myself, could you?" Jack asked.

"No."

"We'll talk about this."

"It was important," Daniel said urgently. "You'll see!"

"Colonel, did you know about the events regarding Colonels Makepeace and Maybourne in Daniel's time line?" the general interrupted them briskly.

"He told me yesterday. I wasn't sure how much of it concerned our universe though. I was going to talk to you myself, sir," Jack said, trying not to sound as defensive as the kid. "We never had any evidence on Makepeace. However, Major Carter here dug up a bone."

Hammond's Texas sky blue eyes pierced Jack's former 2IC. "Major?"

"Colonel Makepeace tested the waters with me, sir." She repeated what she had told Jack earlier, closing her report with, "I assume he was talking about a secret base. I'll know more once I've taken him up on his offer."

Hammond crossed his arms over his ample chest. "I see. I was going to assign you to another team based on what Daniel has told me. Now it seems we have a different situation here."

"I've been trying to gain Colonel Makepeace's trust ever since he took over SG-1. It seems like it might pay off now. I want to ask for permission to continue. Once I've collected enough evidence, we can arrest him and whoever else has a part in this," Carter explained. "I'm sorry I didn't confide in you, sir, but I knew your hands were tied and I wasn't sure of the truth myself."

Hammond exhaled a breath. "We'll discuss your unauthorized actions later, Major." He turned his eyes on Jack. "Did you know about this, Colonel O'Neill?"

"No, he didn't, sir," Carter hastened to say.

"I assumed it," Jack admitted. "I didn't think Carter would stay on SG-1 under Makepeace's command because she thought the guy was hot." With a sidewards glance at her he added. "No pun intended, Major."

Hammond shook his head. "You people never cease to amaze me. Major, continue your investigations for now. Don't put yourself under unnecessary risk. I expect you to report any new information you gather to Colonel O'Neill or myself."

"Yes, sir."

"Good. Daniel informed me about Colonel Maybourne's possible involvement. I can't do anything about him right now. But Daniel also gave me the names of two more suspects, which is why I'm taking everything he told me very seriously."

"It's SG-13, Jack," Daniel jumped in, apparently not able to curb his impatience. "Kershaw and Grieves! They were arrested for treason in my universe. They worked on the off world base. Makepeace transferred the stolen devices and her team back engineered everything coming through. Grieves was commander of the base. Here they are SG-13. They set you up! Don't you see? SG-13 didn't do bad recon when they told you about Trofsky. They wanted you to walk right into that ambush!"

Jack gaped at the kid and then exchanged a stunned look with Carter. "Son of a..."

Hammond looked grim. "We can't continue this conversation here. Major, I'll brief you on your investigations at a later point. I need to call my superiors. I'm inclined to agree with Daniel, but we'll have to wait until Major Carter has more intel before we can act, Colonel, I know you're on leave, but you'll have to stay in town in case I need you on base. Washington is going to throw a fit over this mess."

"General, if I may... there's something else I want to talk to you about," Jack said.

"I'm already late for an important meeting. If it doesn't concern any more moles under my command or other facts you want to reveal to me regarding this issue, I'm sure it can wait. I'll see you tomorrow at eight thirty in my office, Colonel."

"Yes, sir."

With a final head shake Hammond hurried to leave.

"Here's a question," Jack said after a moment of thought. "If SG-13 set us up, how'd they know we'd be there? It wasn't an authorized mission. They couldn't know I'd go wacko and take the bait."

"Maybe they overheard you raving about how you'd kill Trofsky..." Carter started.

"I didn't rave," Jack objected sharply.

"With all due respect, sir, you did. When Hammond didn't okay that mission, you kind of lost it. We were at the gym and you almost killed the punching bag. Then you told Teal'c and me you'd rip Trofsky's head off if the general would only let us go."

Oh, yeah. That. He'd rather forget that incident. Cringing, he slouched into the chair next to the kid. Daniel was silently observing them.

"But," Jack said to his defense. "There wasn't anyone at the gym – just us."

"Somebody could've been in the corridor, or the gym's locker room. I mean... It makes perfect sense, sir. All Trofsky had to do was keep his Jaffa close to the gate. He needed to guard the area anyway to keep the new slaves from escaping. Makepeace or SG-13 probably promised to serve you on a silver plate and all he had to do was wait," Carter said. "Everyone knew how close you and Daniel were... they counted on you throwing all caution to the wind and going after Trofsky. And if you hadn't, they would've found another way sooner or later. It was a safe bet."

Jack felt himself blanch at her words. What exactly did she mean by everyone knew how close he was to Daniel...? No one could have known. Hell, not even Daniel had known. Or at least had always pretended not to know.

But her next words made him relax.

"Even 'I' wanted to go after Trofsky. We were all close to Daniel. Maybe too close." She lowered her head and gazed at the blanket covering her legs. Suddenly she seemed to be even more vulnerable in her blue scrubs with the bandages and bed messy blond hair. "You shouldn't have zatted me," she said after a moment, bitterness lacing her voice.

"No," he said. "I shouldn't have gone after Trofsky in the first place. You did the right thing. You warned me, I didn't listen. It was a bad decision. Zatting you was the only smart thing I did that day."

She continued as if she hadn't heard a word he said. "It's never good for a unit to get too close to each other. Makes you attack-able in too many ways. Isn't that what they teach us? Trust your comrade with your life, but don't get too close. Don't build too strong a bond. I always thought that was an odd combination. Yet, I never struggled with the concept until... until I joined SG-1." She looked up and while Jack wasn't the most sensitive person on the planet, even he could see the unshed tears in her eyes.

"Carter...," he started, not knowing what would come out of his mouth.

"It's okay. I'll deal. After all, that's what we're trained to do, isn't it? Move on and get the job done." She didn't sound sarcastic, just tired.

"Yeah," Jack said quietly.

What else was there to say?

Daniel stood and asked shyly, "Sam? Can I hug you?"

She gave him a shadow of a grin. "Sure." And Daniel carefully wrapped his arms around her shoulders and she hugged him back with her good arm. When they pulled back, the kid's face was flushed.

"Thanks," she said, brushing a strand of hair out of his face.

"I'm sorry I'm not your Daniel," Daniel murmured.

"It's still good to have you here." She brightened up immediately. "Why don't you come and visit me again while the colonel talks to General Hammond tomorrow. Do you play chess?"

Daniel nodded and promised to stop by. "Can I bring your chess board, Jack?"

"Sure. But I gotta warn you, Carter. The brat's gonna set you check mate faster than you can blink."

"I'll be prepared." She chuckled and Daniel grinned, still blushing a little.

Jack watched the two of them and thought that maybe, just maybe, this little guy would help them heal.

And maybe Teal'c was still out there somewhere.

Right. And maybe there was a Santa Clause sitting at the Northpole waiting for Christmas.

Yet, here he was having a civilized conversation with his former 2IC. She hadn't bitten his head off and he realized he'd missed her. So Daniel was already doing what Daniel did best. Pestering Jack long enough to make him see reason and do the right thing.

**6**

They were back in the park, sitting in the grass on top of a hill underneath an old oak tree. Jack drove them here after they'd left the mountain and Daniel liked the view over the lake and the playground. Not much was going on. The swing sets and sandbox were deserted. Some people were walking their dogs and some kids were throwing a Frisbee in a circle. Since there was no wind, the colorful disc didn't fly far and often plopped to the ground before one of the kids could catch it. After a couple of minutes they grew tired of their game and left.

"We need to talk," Jack said after a while, pulling out tufts of dry grass and letting it fall to the ground.

Jack didn't sound angry, but serious. Aside from that, the line 'We need to talk' never meant good news anyway. Daniel said the first thing that came to mind. "I know you're mad because I went to see Hammond, but I had to."

"I was going to talk to him anyway."

"I thought you wouldn't listen. You didn't listen to me yesterday. I was going to wait and see if you'd talk to him. But then I saw Kershaw and Grieves and knew I had to report what I knew," Daniel said matter-of-factly. He cocked his head and tried to read Jack's face to figure out if the colonel was angry.

"And you didn't come to me first because you didn't want me to throw another tantrum. That it?" There was a twinkle of humor in those brown eyes.

Daniel shrugged one shoulder. "Ye-ah."

Jack rubbed his temples. "Actually, there's something else we need to discuss. What do you think about working in linguistics? You'd like that?"

"I'm not sure," Daniel replied truthfully.

"Janet informed me you need to go to school and she's right."

"School?" He stared at his temporary guardian with horror. "I have three doctorates; I don't need to go to school." As if he'd been caught bragging, he ducked his head. "I mean... what would I do at school?"

Jack sighed as if he'd expected this reaction. And he probably had. "It's the law, kiddo. You're underage; you have to get some kind of education. I hate to break it to you, but your doctorates mean squat in our universe." He winced, apparently realizing his choice of words wasn't the best. "Sorry," he offered. "Can't do anything about it."

"Uh, I'm not going back to school." Daniel would rather spend the rest of his childhood locked away at Area 51 than spend his days with a bunch of kids in the same classroom. The thought alone made him shudder. "I'm not going through high school again. And I'm not going back to college. High school is boring and at college they'd just pick on me because of my age. Forget it, Jack, I'm not going."

"That's why I asked you about linguistics," Jack said sounding just like an impatient parent. "Now, before you throw a fit, will you listen to me for a moment?"

Daniel cringed. He'd done it again. Apparently they couldn't have one coherent conversation without one of them getting irritated. "Sorry," he offered sheepishly.

"'s okay. I wouldn't be thrilled about going back to school either," Jack accepted the apology. After a pause he continued. "I need to go back to work soon. Have to save some leave for July."

"Oh. Charlie's visit?" Daniel remembered the phone conversation between Jack and Sara he had overheard.

"Yeah. So I have to go back soon. I have to clear it with Hammond tomorrow. If he agrees to my coming back and taking the rest of my leave in July, I want to talk to him about you. You could be home schooled, or take online classes. With your three doctorates, I'm sure you'd be done with the required daily assignments like this." Jack snapped his fingers. "If they'd allow you to stay on base you could help out with translations for the rest of the day. The alternative would be school and probably daycare."

"I don't know. I cheated on those tests MacKenzie made me take, remember? I claimed not to know alien languages."

"But you're a quick study. And you officially know enough to get clearance up to a point."

"General Hammond has to get permission from Washington to let me work on base. Last time I heard the president wanted me to get off base ASAP." Daniel wasn't sure if Jack's opinion weighed enough to make everyone in Washington relax and change their mind about the strange kid from another reality.

"I'm pretty sure we can work something out," Jack said.

"I..." Daniel blew out a breath. Several questions popped into his mind. Did that mean Jack expected him to stay after all? And more importantly, did he really want to stay with Jack indefinitely? But no, Jack wouldn't want Daniel to stay for good. He had made it crystal clear that Daniel was only in his custody until they found a place for him to live. He had said it to Sam just two hours ago. "It's probably not worth all the hassle for a couple of more weeks," Daniel finally said.

"It doesn't matter how long you're gonna stay. We have to get you settled. Sooner or later social services will knock on my door if you're not registered somewhere."

"Okay," Daniel hurried to say. The word 'social services' rang all kind of alarm bells. "As long as I don't have to go to school."

"We'll make it work," Jack promised.

"What if General Hammond doesn't like the idea? Or if the president doesn't approve of it?"

"I can be very persuasive if I want to. Just let me handle this."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeahsureyabetcha," Jack said and Daniel couldn't help but smile at the familiar line even though it stung a little.

He wondered what Charlie would be like. Part of him was looking forward to meeting Jack's son. Another part of him cringed at the thought. Charlie must be a teen by now. Was he like a younger version of Jack? Daniel remembered the picture of Charlie with his hockey skates and decided Jack's kid must at least have inherited Jack's liking for sports. They probably wouldn't have much in common anyway. And then another thought struck him.

"Do we have to share a room?" He didn't realize he had said it out loud until Jack gave him a confused look. "Um, Charlie and I. If I'm still here then. Do we have to share a room? You don't have another spare room, do you?"

Jack stared at him for a second and then groaned, "Aw, crap. I didn't think of that."

"I could move into the basement, I guess," Daniel said. "If you had a cot or a sleeping bag." Wouldn't that be nice? He could pretend he was Harry Potter living at the Dursleys. Well, a room under the stairs would probably be more accurate for that, but as far as Daniel knew Jack didn't have a room under his stairs.

"No. We'll figure something out. Maybe one of you boys can camp in my office," Jack muttered. "Or maybe I can convince Sara to send him on fall break instead."

There. Jack expected Daniel to be gone by then. It couldn't have been said anymore clearly. And that was okay. Daniel hadn't expected anything else.

"Not on my account," he hastened to say. He didn't know what the issues between this Jack and Charlie were, but he didn't want to be the cause of trouble. If he had to share a room with Jack's kid so be it. He imagined how happy his own Jack would have been if his son were still alive. How much his Jack had loved Charlie and would have given anything to undo what had happened with the gun. "I'm okay with sharing a room. It'll be fine."

Jack didn't look thrilled or happy at all, but he nodded and then changed the subject by asking Daniel what he wanted for lunch.

They had burgers at a small diner near the park, but Daniel wasn't very hungry since he'd already had pancakes and ice cream today. He only managed a quarter of his cheeseburger.

When they were done eating Jack looked at him expectantly. "What'cha wanna do now?"

"Do?" Daniel's eyes wandered around the parking lot as if he'd find the answer somewhere among the cars.

"Yeah, do. We have the whole afternoon and no errands to run."

"The last time we went somewhere I ended up at the hospital," Daniel said tentatively. He hadn't thought Jack would want to 'do' something with him for a while.

Jack rolled his eyes as they walked to the truck. "We just were at the park and you survived it. So. Anything you'd like to do?"

"No basketball," Daniel said and bit his tongue. "Uh, if that's okay with you. I'm still kind of sore."

"No basketball," Jack promised. "What then?"

"I don't know. I..." He didn't think he was supposed to mention a museum, a book store or the library. Last time Jack had wanted to do outdoor stuff.

Jack opened the truck door for Daniel and took the decision out of his hand. "I know just the thing."

"Does it involve running, climbing, fishing or jumping?" Daniel asked suspiciously.

"Trust me?" Jack winked and slammed the door shut once Daniel started putting on his seat belt.

_Not that I have much of a choice,_ Daniel thought. But he wisely kept that to himself as they left the diner's parking lot.

Twenty minutes later Daniel's nose was practically glued to the truck's window. They were driving through his old neighborhood. Well, it was actually this Daniel's neighborhood. But those edges were beginning to blur already. Daniel had lived in this part of Colorado Springs when he had still been big. So this was his neighborhood one way or the other.

Were they going to his old apartment? He couldn't think of a reason to do that and he soon dismissed that thought when they left his district and headed North.

Only when the huge complex of The American Market Place came into view did Daniel know where they were headed. He felt his heart beat faster in excited anticipation as Jack cruised the wide parking lot.

It had been ages since he had visited this place. Usually Daniel had liked window shopping and actual shopping in the smaller antique shops of The Springs. But from time to time he had enjoyed losing himself in the vast storehouse of the Market Place, especially when the weather had been bad and he'd had one of his rare free days where he hadn't taken work home. It hadn't happened often, but he'd had the odd day in between when he'd come here... or rather to the equivalent in his own Colorado Springs... and spent hours looking at the antiques.

"What do you think?" Jack steered the truck into an empty slot. "That the right thing for you?"

"Yeah!" Daniel was out of the truck immediately and waited impatiently for Jack to follow.

"One rule," Jack said before they entered through the double doors. "No wandering off."

"Would you believe me if I told you I know that rule by heart?" Daniel was glad he wasn't six or younger. He could just imagine being put on a leash or having to hold Jack's hand all the time. Yuck. Well, his Jack would probably hold his hand. This one would put him on a leash without batting an eyelid.

"I would. I'm still telling you."

"No wandering off, I got it. Can we go in now?" After a heartbeat he added, "Please?" Then he suddenly noticed he had misread the sign over the door. The big letters didn't say "American Marketplace" but "International Market Place".

This was different.

They entered the storehouse through the glass doors and Daniel was immediately hit by various smells and colorful clutter everywhere. The countless different stores were all housed in consignment booths and the Antique market had the flair of a bazaar in Egypt, or elsewhere in the orient.

The Market Place turned out to be different than Daniel remembered it from home. As the name promised, the storehouse held shops selling items from foreign countries. Daniel and Jack soon found themselves in a crowd of people sauntering through the corridors between the booths.

They spotted carpets from Persia, handcrafted small furniture from Europe, scarves and saris from India... Daniel stopped at a booth selling spices from South Africa and he started giving Jack a lecture on the over thirty different kinds of chilies of Cape Malay. Some booths were stuffed with carved wooden totems and figurines from American natives and Africa. The scents of leather, food, wood and paint wafted through the huge hall as they passed booth after booth. The only difference between this and an oriental bazaar was that there were no yelling dealers here and you couldn't truly trade or bargain on prices.

The first thing that really caught Daniel's attention was a chocolate sculpture store. Wondering what chocolate sculpture meant, he mumbled an apology as he squeezed himself past a couple of people to get a better look at the booth. A young African man, wearing a yellow turban and matching pants, had rolled up the long sleeves of his wide, red shirt, and was building something from melted chocolate. There were several different molds on a work bench in the middle of the booth, a huge pot on a stove and bars of chocolate. The man was working on what appeared to be a miniature-sized chest with drawers. The chest was already done and Daniel watched with fascination as the guy built drawers, gluing the pieces of hardened chocolate together with melted dark chocolate.

Shelves displayed all kinds of little figurines or buildings made of white or dark chocolate. Daniel saw a fat, laughing Buddha, a family of elephants, dogs and cats, fairies and dwarfs, even a chocolate version of Mount Rushmore.

"Wow," he said torn between wanting to taste a piece of the US flag and being in awe over the artwork. All fifty stars were made of white chocolate, as were the stripes, while the rest of the flag was milk chocolate.

Several people were shoving and pushing in order to watch the sculpture builder and Daniel let himself be swept away to the next booth, an antique store selling wooden cabinets and desks from Sweden. The seller glared at him when he reached out to touch one of the polished maple wood desks. He used to have one of those in his apartment...

"Daniel!" He jumped when a hand grabbed the collar of his t-shirt and he was pulled out of the antique store.

_Uh-oh. _"I was just..." he started, but was cut off as Jack gave him a quick, none too gentle, shake.

"What about no wandering off didn't you understand?"

Daniel swallowed his protest that he wasn't a puppy and ground out a "Sorry!"

"Pay attention, Mister, or we're out of here ASAP," Jack snapped.

"I thought you were right behind me," Daniel complained, rubbing his neck for emphasis when Jack let go of his shirt.

"I was. Until you decided to pummel your way through a bunch of people and were gone." Jack shook his head and put a hand on his shoulder as they moved on, muttering, "Kids. Nothing but trouble," under his breath.

Daniel stopped walking and turned to look at Jack. "I didn't mean to get lost, but it's crowded in here and I just..." He bit his lip and tried to hide his disappointment. He was sure the fun would be over now. "I'm not as tall as I used to be. I wanted to watch the chocolate builder and there were lots of people in front of me."

To his surprise Jack's glare softened as he squeezed Daniel's shoulder. "Just keep an eye on where you're going, kid. I really don't want to lose you in here, okay?"

"Can't we agree on a place to meet just in case we really lose each other? Like over at that information point next to the main entrance?" Daniel pointed at a booth with a red INFO sign. "It's easy to find."

Jack looked thoughtful for a moment, then said, "I'd say it's a good idea, but I'd rather have you right next to me, understood?"

Daniel sighed. Of course. Bad guys, NID agents, yadda... "It's just in case I accidentally get lost," he said patiently.

Jack scowled. "This was a bad idea," he muttered. Then he sighed. "Just don't wander off on purpose, okay?"

"I never wander off on purpose," Daniel replied batting his eye lashes.

Jack sighed again. "I know that. My Daniel never did either."

Daniel finally found a booth selling out-of-print books. "Can I look here for a while?" he asked Jack, who waved at him to continue while he took the offered coffee from the shop owner and leaned against a shelf to watch Daniel browse through the books. They were everywhere. In boxes on tables, in high small shelves on all four walls of the booth, even in crates on the floor. They were dusty and smelled of old paper and leather bound covers.

Between a book about Turkish hand woven carpets and a battered WW II encyclopedia in German, Daniel found a very old book about the pyramids of Giza. He flipped through it, smiling at the old drawings and black/white pictures. The pages were yellowed and blotchy. Putting the book aside as another one caught his eye, Daniel picked up a small hardcover wrapped in a green fabric. It was called "1000 unexplained Phenomena" including UFOs and alien sightings.

Giggling to himself he opened it and turned pages with photos of strange lights, weird looking shadowy figures and reports from people who claimed to have been abducted by aliens in the sixties and seventies. For some strange reason the book fascinated him. It wasn't really an old book either. Not old as in antique anyway. It was in chronological order of years, starting somewhere in the sixties. Daniel slowly went through the pages until he found an article about...

"Jack!" he yelled, scrabbling to his feet. He clumsily slammed into one of the shelves as he spun around to look for Jack. If not for the clerk's fast reaction, an avalanche of books would have rained down on Daniel. The booth owner grabbed the swaying shelf and kept it from falling. "Careful there little guy. Do you want that book?"

"Um..." Daniel didn't have any money, but he needed to show this to Jack.

"What's up?" Jack put his coffee mug on the small table next to the cash register.

"Look at this," Daniel whispered, holding the book so Jack could see what he meant.

"Whoa," Jack mumbled as he took it from Daniel. "Are those your parents?"

"Yes... no. Not mine, exactly."

"Yeah, well..."

They gazed together at the chapter bearing the title '_Strange findings by Egyptologists near Giza.'_ It said further down; '_In the mid seventies, Doctors Claire and Melbourne Jackson unburied several unusual artifacts at the Giza plateau. A large painting in a heavy stone frame. Another mysterious artifact was a very rare form of jewelry which, according to Doctor Jackson, was worn around the wrist and hand. Both items were stolen from the Egyptian museum in Cairo'_.

"That's a hand ribbon device," Daniel whispered, putting a finger on a sketch underneath the text.

"Not here," Jack said curtly as he closed the book and went to pay for it.

"My parents were working near the Giza pyramids before we moved to New York. But I can't recall them ever finding alien artifacts," Daniel said in between sips of his soda. "1000 Unexplained Phenomena" was lying open on the kitchen table between them.

The chapter about the artifact findings by Claire and Melburn Jackson wasn't very informative. The text was limited to a few facts like the year of the findings and that both artifacts had been housed in storage at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. They'd never gone into the exhibition because nobody could categorize them properly and the Jackson's wanted to study them further to find out more about their origins and age. But it never came to that since both items had been stolen and could never be traced.

"I didn't realize they found some of Ra's possessions. Of course I was a little boy and didn't understand everything they found on that particular dig."

"Or it only happened here and not in your time line," Jack said.

"True." Daniel gazed at the old photo of his parents. _This Daniel's parents,_ he corrected himself. But still... they looked like his parents. The picture showed them in Giza, Cheop's pyramid nothing but a blurred shape in the background. Dad had his arm around mom and they were laughing. They were both wearing their glasses and mom's dark blond hair was pulled back into a pony tail as she used to wear it when she was working. They were dressed in jeans and wide cotton shirts and dad was wearing his work belt. Daniel could make out the brushes and scoops, the flashlight and knife and magnifying glass.

He used to have a working belt just like that. And later at the SGC he used to carry around his archaeological tools in his backpack. They had been a part of him ever since he had known he'd become an archaeologist. Sometimes he'd wondered if his parents would have been proud of him. If they'd have welcomed the choice of profession Daniel had chosen. Archeology had been his parent's life and Daniel had inherited the love for all things historical and the precious pieces of ancient life he'd found on his digs and later on foreign planets.

"Daniel?" Jack's voice was unusually soft. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, yes, I'm fine. I just didn't expect to find a picture of them in a book." He swallowed the lump in his throat. "I can never tell them what became of me. What I've been doing." He exhaled deeply. "Well, I probably couldn't tell them, even if they were still alive, because everything I've done lately is classified."

"They'd be proud of you," Jack said sincerely. "Our Daniel had the same regrets. But I'm sure both your parents would be very proud. They'd be thrilled you figured out the Stargate and what was up with the aliens living in Egypt posing as gods."

"Yeah." Daniel wiped a hand over his eyes to get rid of the moisture. He hadn't cried over his parent's death in a very long time. But seeing their picture in this book brought back the old pain. "Funny," he said after a moment. "This is an alternate reality. It never occurred to me that they might still be alive here. I mean they aren't. But they could have been. Just like Charlie's still alive here."

Jack's head snapped up. "What?"

"Charlie. He died in my universe." Daniel blinked, realizing he'd never told this Jack about Charlie.

Jack blanched and his eyes widened. "How?"

"He, um, he shot himself with your... with my Jack's gun. I think he was around nine or ten at the time," Daniel said, uncomfortable under Jack's flummoxed stare. "I'm sorry. I mean, I'm not, because he's still alive here, so you're a lucky man. Ah, at least I think you should feel like that. My Jack would. He never stopped blaming himself."

"Yeah," Jack murmured. Nothing else. But when he got up and returned with the coffee pot Daniel noticed his hands were shaking as he poured himself a cup.

"I probably should have told you. I just didn't know how. It's so weird." Daniel carefully watched Jack, who stared blankly at the book on the table, jaw twitching.

"It's okay," Jack said finally, an edge to his voice. "He only shot a hole into my office wall here."

"That must've been very scary, too."

Jack blinked and shook his head like he was shaking himself awake. "It was. Now..." he started to stir his coffee. "Question is, where are those artifacts now? Any ideas?"

Daniel focused on the book again, accepting for now that Charlie wasn't a subject open for discussion. "My guess would be some military organization got wind of those artifacts and confiscated them, making it look like they were stolen."

"Yep. It says here...," Jack pointed at the book, "both things were found in 1974, a year before they had that car accident."

Now it was Daniel who was shocked. "What?"

"The car accident. Daniel's parents died in a car accident in Cairo," Jack said with a frown. "Yours didn't?"

"No. They died in New York. Two years earlier than here... a cover stone fell on them. I watched it happen."

"Crap," Jack blurted out with feeling. "Sorry."

Daniel tenderly traced 'his' mother's face on the photo with his fingertips. "A car accident?"

"Yeah. Daniel wasn't with them. He was with his grandfather for the day. They never came home to pick him up. He stayed with Nick for a year, traveling from dig to dig and then the old man sent him to a boarding school in Chicago where he graduated when he was around 15. He went to college right after."

Nick. Nick had taken this Daniel in? Had taken him to digs? Sent him to boarding school?

"The most differences in our universes seem to be between me and your Daniel." Daniel cringed as an irrational wave of jealousy flared up inside him. But it died quickly. There was no need to envy himself that little piece of happiness. To have a relative who actually cared enough to not push him into the US foster care system. Must have been great to move around with Nick and help on the dig sites.

"What do you mean?" Jack asked puzzled.

Daniel tried not to make it sound like a big deal. "I grew up at the orphanage and several foster families in New York. My Nick wouldn't... couldn't take care of me. He was too busy, I guess." Then another thought hit him. "Is Nick still alive here? Is he on Earth or did you find the crystal skull...?"

"He's with the _Giant Aliens_," Jack said and Daniel noticed how this Jack, too, made 'giant aliens' sound funny. He even waggled his eyebrows the same way his own Jack did whenever he mentioned Quetzalcoatl and the other inhabitants of P7X-377.

"Oh." Daniel sighed. "It would have been nice to meet him, I guess. We sort of got along after we found that skull and brought him to the SGC." He stared at the old photo of his not-parents. "Must be my fate to always be the one ending up without family."

He pushed the book away. These weren't his parents.

"Hey, we don't have to wade through all this, kiddo." Jack said into the following heavy silence. "Let's just focus on those artifacts, okay? I have to report this to Hammond." He scrubbed a hand through his hair. "If the military got their hands on those things, we might find them at Area 51 hidden away somewhere. Just like we found that video tape of Ernest Littlefield going through the gate. That happened in your time line, too?"

"Yeah. He was Catherine Langford's fiance. He got stranded on a planet and lived there, alone for over fifty years."

"The military has known about the gate for a very long time. If they recognized those artifacts as stuff connected to it, I'm positive it was us who took them. If it wasn't us, I'm sure we'll dig them up someplace sooner or later," Jack bottom lined it.

Daniel watched him leave the kitchen to get on the phone.

**6 **

When Jack returned the kid was busy making sandwiches. The table was already set and Daniel was cutting tomatoes into slices while the bread was in the toaster.

"I thought it's time for dinner," he said without looking up.

Jack opened the fridge and retrieved cheese, peanut butter, and ham. "Hammond's going to dig for the artifacts," he informed Daniel as he helped fix the sandwiches.

"It's exciting," Daniel said thoughtfully. "To think that my … that the Jacksons..."

Jack couldn't stand the way the kid struggled with the fact that these were his parents, yet they weren't. "They're your parents, sort of, so go with what you want to call them."

"Uh, okay, so it's exciting they were involved with the Stargate, too. Did your Daniel ever mention anything about these artifacts?" Jack noticed that Daniel gracefully avoided calling them anything.

"Nope. If he knew he would've told us. Funny, he ended up working on the Stargate program, not knowing his parents had found a ribbon device long before he even knew they existed." Jack fished the hot slices of bread out of the toaster and put them on plates.

"Did Catherine pick your Daniel up after he'd been laughed at by his colleagues?" Daniel cringed, apparently recalling that particular day. "I almost turned her down."

"Yeah, the stories match," Jack agreed. "He turned up at the mountain, looking like a kid in grown up clothes." The memory made him grin fondly. "He didn't look like much back then, but had the brains and attitude to make all our brilliant scientists look like pre-schoolers."

Daniel gazed up at him, blue eyes full of compassion. "Jack? Thanks for taking me to the Market Place. It was fun."

"Daniel used to like that place. Reminded him of Egypt," Jack said, caught in his own memories for a moment. They had spent some of their free days there together and Jack had enjoyed his friend's enthusiasm over all the knickknacks they were selling. The best part had been to see Daniel relax and lose some of the too-focused-on-his-work attitude he often had at the mountain. The guy hadn't gotten out much. None of them had. They'd worked too long, too hard and under pressing circumstances all too often. But, Jack guessed, none of them would've wanted it any other way if anyone had asked them.

Life was pretty boring now. Relaxing, but boring.

_Be careful what you wish for, Jack,_ his Daniel whispered in his head, sounding amused.

Jack ignored it.

"I used to like the Market Place when I was big," the kid version said. "But it's different where I come from. I actually like yours better." He looked guilty as if liking something in this universe more than in his own was an act of treason.

"We could go there again whenever you want," Jack offered and, before he knew it, added, "If there's anything else you'd like to do, let me know."

Daniel eyed him carefully. "You're going back to work."

"There's always the weekends." Jack carried their plates over to the kitchen table and they sat down to eat. "We don't have to hang around the house all the time."

"I'll think about it," Daniel said, and smiled.

Daniel spent the rest of the evening in his room while Jack watched a hockey game. But he couldn't concentrate on what was going on. His mind kept straying back to Daniel and how longingly he'd looked at the picture of his not-parents. How shocked he'd seemed that Nick took in their Daniel after his parents had died. Shocked and hurt. Jack pushed all this aside. He couldn't change things for the kid, couldn't make any of it undone. But now he started thinking of Charlie. His Charlie and the other Charlie... the one who had died from the gun shot. How easily that could have happened here, too.

Usually Jack wasn't one to think about fates and destinies, but tonight he wondered if someone up there was rolling dice, deciding who'd die and who lived. Throw six in the other universe and Charlie O'Neill dies. Throw the same number in this universe and he'd stay alive. Throw three in this universe and Daniel Jackson dies. Throw three in the other one and he gets shrunk... and if the dice shows a one, the shrunk Daniel switches universes.

What was the sense in this?

Probably nothing.

Realizing he wasn't following the game anyway, Jack turned off the TV and thought of the Jack Daniel's bottle in his cabinet. There were supposed to be more meteor showers tonight. He went into the dining room and was about to get the whiskey when he spotted a small forlorn figure sitting at the kitchen table.

Daniel startled when Jack entered the room. He had a glass of water in front of him and the open book lying next to it. He hastily closed it and pushed it away as if he'd been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. "I just wanted a glass of water. I'll go back to bed in a minute," he murmured.

Jack decided he didn't need to get drunk that badly. "C'mon. I wanna show you something."

Daniel's head came up, his eyes deep pools of black in the dim light coming from the dining room. "Now?"

"Yep. You'll like it."

Daniel slid from his chair and followed Jack out the back door into the warm night. "Where are we going?" he asked as they rounded the house. When Jack motioned for the kid to climb the steps to the roof, he let out a soft, "Oh!"

Jack helped Daniel to adjust the telescope and sat back in his chair, letting him watch. At first he stayed silent, but after only a couple of minutes he piped up, "It's such a clear night, I can see... Jack, I found Abydos!"

"Where?" He leaned forward and Daniel let go of the telescope, so Jack could look through it.

"It's just barely there. Do you see it? Jack and I used to sit up here and look for it. It's not always visible. Only on very clear nights."

And there it was. Nothing but a tiny point of light, smaller than a pinhead, but definitely there. "Yep, you found it," Jack said with a smile. That's where Daniel was. Sort of. Maybe he'd go there one day, visit Kasuf and Skaara. And stay a while. Suddenly the idea was appealing.

"Jack!" Daniel's unusual excited voice pulled him out of his thoughts. "Look!"

The boy pointed at the distant sky, full of falling stars. "Is that what you wanted to show me?"

"Yep."

"They're beautiful."

"They're called Arietids. It's the most intense meteor shower of the year and usually comes between May and June," Jack explained.

"I remember them! We watched them once, too." Daniel stood at the banister of the platform, a blond barefoot kid, only dressed in shirt and blue boxer shorts, gazing into the sky as if he wanted to catch a star with his eyes. To Jack he looked incredibly young and vulnerable like this.

"Make a wish," he said.

"That doesn't work," the kid replied, all the enthusiasm leaving him like air would a balloon with a hole in it.

_Great. Just the wrong thing to say._ Thinking of a quick distraction, Jack asked, "Didn't the ancient Egyptians believe in the stars and the sun?"

"They believed them to be gods and goddesses. And they believed that part of the soul would go to the sky, that it would ascend and be among the stars who are the same here and in the Duat, the land of the afterlife," Daniel said after a pause.

"I like that," Jack replied, lowering his voice. "It's a nice thought."

They sat in silence for a long time, watching the shooting stars crossing the night sky like shimmering veils.

"I used to believe my parents were up there when I was a kid," Daniel whispered. "Sometimes I wish I could still believe that. I could believe Jack was out there, somewhere." He frowned. "But if he was, he'd be in the other universe, right? Not here. Not among these stars."

Jack let out a silent sigh. Everytime he thought he had a good idea for a change... "If they're really out there, I don't think they'd be restricted by something as trivial as different universes," he tried. "Maybe they follow us wherever we go, to … you know... watch over us." Ouch. He waited for the rebuke for throwing out a clichè like that.

Daniel raised his eyebrows and gave him an 'are you serious look'. His voice was too cynical for a boy his age... his apparent age anyway. "Right. Like they're haunting us." He rolled his eyes dramatically.

"Only on Halloween."

The ban was broken. Daniel blinked, then started laughing, then put a hand over his mouth to stifle it. "Your jokes are a bad as my Jack's were."

"You're welcome." Jack snorted.

They looked at each other and when Daniel let out another burst of suppressed giggles, Jack couldn't help but laugh himself.

They stayed on the roof for a long time, watching the night sky, pointing out star constellations to each other. Eventually Daniel, who was sitting in the chair next to Jack fighting sleepiness, closed his eyes and his head sagged against Jack's shoulder.

He gently woke his little sidekick and they went to bed. Before Daniel closed the door to his room, he blushed and thanked Jack for taking him star gazing. Standing alone in the hallway, Jack O'Neilll wondered what it would be like to...

For crying out loud. If he wanted a son, he should start putting things right between him and Charlie and not trying to make good for his mistakes on another kid.

_But he's Daniel,_ he thought. _And he has nowhere to go._

Rubbing his tired eyes, Jack went to bed.

After he'd dropped Daniel off to play chess with Sam in the infirmary the next morning, Jack went to see his CO. Once he had explained his plans to the general, Hammond leaned back in his comfy leather desk chair, deep lines of concern creasing his brow. Jack waited patiently while the general mulled over his well thought out suggestions and reasonable points.

"We can't let him work on base," he said finally.

Wrong answer. But Jack hadn't expect this to go over smoothly, so he was prepared. "He'd be a valuable asset to the linguistics department. I think he should get clearance up to a point."

A knock at the door interrupted them. At Hammond's call to enter, a young SF breezed in and apologized for disturbing them. He placed a pile of folders on Hammond's desk. "Sargent Davis asked me to deliver these, sir."

The general nodded. "Thank you, Meyers."

Meyers turned stiffly and left, leaving the door open.

Hammond shook his head. "Would you close the door, please, Colonel?"

Jack was already on his feet. When he pushed at the door, he felt a resistance just for a moment. As if something was blocking it. Jack pushed harder and suddenly it slammed shut with a loud bang. "You should let Siler check out this door," he said when he settled in his chair again.

"There wasn't anything wrong with it this morning," Hammond said absently. "But back to Daniel. Jack, I didn't for one second doubt that Doctor Fraiser was right about the boy cheating on MacKenzie's tests. He won't be safe if word gets out he's a small version of Doctor Jackson with all his knowledge. If we let him work here, someone will find out sooner or later. We can't fool the NID for long. Especially if Makepeace and Maybourne are enemies in our own ranks."

Jack said tightly, "Don't you think he'll be safer here on base than at some school where people can snatch him away anytime?"

Shaking his head, Hammond said, "I'm aware we can't enroll him in any regular school for various reasons. But let him work here? Colonel, you reported to me the NID isn't interested in him right now. If he continues to live like a normal kid, they might never be. But if we let him work here and Makepeace finds out the truth, we'd risk Daniel's safety."

_Not to mention the risk of giving away all that valuable knowledge the kid carries around,_ Jack thought, but didn't say it out loud. Hammond had a point here he couldn't deny.

"So what are we gonna do with him? With me getting back to work, he needs a place to stay."

"We have two options," Hammond replied, pursing his lips thoughtfully. "We might be able to get him into Cheyenne Mountain daycare, so he can do his home school assignments."

"But I understand it's an after school daycare only?" At least that's what Fraiser had told him.

"It is for older kids. But they have all-day-groups for toddlers. I'm sure we could arrange for Daniel to get a room and a computer. That way he'd be taken care of and wouldn't have to spend the day with the little ones. He could study and would have someone to go to if he needs anything. And it's safely guarded. Nobody who isn't picking up or dropping off kids has any business being there and will be reported immediately."

Jack could just see how Daniel would embrace the idea of going to daycare with a bunch of babies. Not. "What's the other option?"

"Well, that's a little more complicated, but maybe suits you better and would probably solve all our problems regarding the boy. We could send him to boarding school for gifted children. The Air Force would pay for his education and he'd have a place to live. He'd only have to come back to the Springs for summer break."

Jack felt his lips curl in disdain. Daniel had once shared with him how he'd hated his years in boarding school. He'd been picked on because he was the youngest in most of his classes and had never felt at home there. Sure, he'd gone to visit Nick on his digs during the summers, but had never wanted to return to school once summer was over.

And this Daniel? From what Jack knew the kid had been stuck in foster care for most of his first childhood.

_Must be my fate to always be the one ending up without family._

Somehow this simple statement had gotten to Jack more than he wanted to admit. He'd seen the defeated look in Daniel's eyes, the way he had gazed at the picture of his not-quite-parents and then pushed the book away so he wouldn't start crying.

Daniel hadn't wanted to show weakness in front of Jack.

Because Jack wasn't this Daniel's Jack as he had pointed out a couple days ago. Apparently this Daniel's Jack had been there when the kid needed him most, had taken him in... as a substitute for his own dead son? Because they'd been friends, too, when this Daniel had been big? No matter the reason, that other Jack had done the right and decent thing, while _this_ Jack chose to be an ass and give the kid a hard time on top of everything he had to deal with.

A ten year old boy who had lost not one, but two families. Who apparently was condemned to not only live one, but two lonely childhoods.

Life sucked sometimes.

And suddenly Jack, who couldn't even take care of his own kid, was standing in his CO's office being faced with a choice that wouldn't have given him any headache had he been presented with it four weeks ago.

A boarding school was the perfect solution.

Only Jack didn't think Daniel thought so. And Jack found himself struggling with the concept. "I'd have to talk to him," he said carefully, avoiding any commitments, but not agreeing to the boarding school plan right away either.

Hammond raised his eyebrows. "You'll give him a choice in this? I thought you would be relieved to have him gone."

_Crap crap crap._ "All I'm saying is - Daniel should have a say in this. He's not a baby or a real kid. We keep making decisions over his head and I'm...," Jack shrugged, "I'm not comfortable with that anymore."

"And if he decides not to go to boarding school, who is going to take care of him indefinitely?"

Jack exhaled. "Just... let me talk to him before we make any decisions, sir."

He could swear there was a smile tugging at the older man's lips before he pushed a folder across the desk. "This is the facility we'd send him to. Show him and see what he thinks."

Jack didn't pick up the folder, but nodded.

"There's something else, Colonel. Regarding the artifacts."

"You found them?" Jack asked, more than grateful for the change of subject.

"Well, we didn't have to dig very deep. Apparently they've been stored at Area 51 for the last 25 years. I just received the call from someone who spent the night searching through their archives. I have arranged for you to leave for Nevada to take a look at both objects."

"Me, sir?" Jack didn't think he was the right call to identify artifacts of any kind. That would have been Daniel's job. Sure, Jack could tell a hand ribbon device from ordinary jewelery. But what about that painting? He had no idea how to tell if it was made by Goa'uld or just some ancient Egypt artifact. "Wouldn't someone from the archaeological department be a wiser choice...?"

"You'll be accompanied by Doctor Lee. Oh, and Colonel Maybourne is flying in from DC to tour you and the doctor around. I requested someone from the NID join you because we have a couple of questions on how these artifacts came into our possession. And Maybourne happens to have Area 51 under his command. Maybe he can assist you in finding out what happened back in 1975." Hammond folded his hands over a report on his desk.

Jack stared hard at the man. "Right. Maybourne. When do I leave? And what about Daniel?"

"He'll stay here until you're back. Doctor Fraiser is happy to take care of him. Actually, I want you to give him this." Hammond handed Jack a small card. "He'll be more mobile like that. I don't consider him a security risk anymore. Unless you think otherwise?"

"No, sir. He'll love this." Jack grinned.

"Good. Walter should have all the details ready for you."

"Yes, sir." They exchanged another long look and Jack smartly turned to leave. It was only when he was on his way to the infirmary to pick up Daniel that he realized he'd forgotten to take the boarding school papers with him.

**7**

"Check mate," Daniel said, feeling compelled to apologize. "Sorry."

"It's okay," she grinned. "It was fun. I don't mind losing as long as it's a good game. Next time I'll beat you."

"Okay." He returned her smile. It had been a fast game and he suspected Sam was tired and in pain. He knew from his own universe that she wasn't usually easy to set check mate. "I'd like that. Playing again, I mean. If you want to."

"Sure. I sometimes play with Cassie on Saturdays. Maybe you can join us and we can take turns, or Colonel O'Neill could join us and we double team," Sam offered.

"I'll ask Jack. Sounds nice." Way better than playing basketball all the time anyway. "Jack's a good player, too."

"Yes, he is. He can't deny that, no matter how dense he pretends to be sometimes." Sam said with a wink.

"I heard that," came Jack's voice from the door. After a weary look at the security camera, he gave Sam a curt nod and then addressed Daniel. "We need to discuss something in my office." And without looking back at Sam, he added, "I'm going to Nevada to meet Maybourne at Area 51."

"Maybourne. Interesting," Sam replied, her eyes fixed on Daniel.

"Yeah. We'll see what comes out of that one."

Daniel slid from his chair and waved a good-bye at her. "I'll come to see you again when we're back."

"You better. I want my revenge," she called after them as they stepped out into the hallway.

Jack didn't say anything until they arrived in his office. Daniel realized he hadn't been here before and took a curious look around. His Jack's office had been deserted most of the time because for some reason Jack had preferred to do his paperwork at the commissary, or in Daniel's office – even when Daniel had still been big. Well, actually, Jack had always tried to avoid paperwork until the last minute and then had whined endlessly about it – only to have his reports ready and signed right on time.

This Jack's desk was scattered with files and folders and the colonel grimaced at the much larger pile in his in-box. Apparently he wasn't big into paperwork either. There was no picture of Charlie on his desk, but one of SG-1 from a few years ago. Daniel noticed his counterpart's hair was still long in the picture and Jack's hair still brown.

And then he spotted a small Imhotep figurine on one of Jack's book shelves, along with an alabaster jar. He wandered over and reached out to pick it up, then hesitated and stepped back. Jack would probably get mad if he touched them.

He startled a little when a large hand came gently down to rest on his shoulder for a brief moment. "Go ahead and look at them. I know I don't have to tell you to be careful."

"I don't recognize these," Daniel said as he picked up the small statue. It was carved from naquadah, with great detail to the god it resembled.

"They're from Imhotep's library," Jack said. "Daniel had them in his office. On his desk."

"You kept them as a memory of his death," Daniel murmured. "So you'd never forget how he died."

When he looked up, he saw Jack's face harden for a moment before he relaxed and gave him a tired look. "They remind me to never forget how I failed to bring him home."

Daniel put the figurine back. "Don't you think you've punished yourself enough?"

"And do what? Shrug it off and go on with life?" Jack turned away from him and stalked to his desk, sitting down on the edge.

"I... I know you'll never forgive yourself for what happened to Daniel and Teal'c. But they wouldn't want you to suffer endlessly for something that can't be changed." After a tentative pause, Daniel added softly, "I wouldn't."

Jack scowled. "You do have an answer to everything, don't'cha?"

"No, no I don't." Daniel almost snorted at that. He was so far from having all the answers, it was laughable. "But I know if your Daniel and Teal'c are just a little bit like me and my Teal'c, they'd tell you to stop being a martyr. I... he signed up for this program knowing he could die out there. You didn't know they set you up. No matter how cautious you are, you can't always win, Jack. And as for Teal'c... he of all people doesn't need you to feel guilty. He went into this revenge thing, knowing full well he might not get home."

"It doesn't change anything. I was in command, I screwed up."

"I know. But what's the point? They're gone," Daniel said without accusation in his voice. "And if there's any chance Teal'c's still alive, he needs you to bring him back."

Jack stared at him, his eyes dark and intense with something Daniel couldn't quite grasp. Anger? Sadness? He feared Jack might get mad again, but he tried to return the look with as much courage a ten year old could muster.

Just when Daniel thought he couldn't stand it any longer. When he felt he had to either look away or apologize for what he just said, Jack broke the silence by clearing his throat. "I have to get ready for my flight."

Daniel blinked at the sudden change of subject. "You? Aren't I coming with you?"

"Nope. You're staying on base. It's what I wanted to talk to you about. Hammond wants me to accompany Doctor Lee, so he can take a look at the ribbon device and the painting. He arranged for me to meet Maybourne. We'll see how that goes."

"But..." Daniel bit his tongue as he heard himself whine. Jack would just tell him not to argue and suck it up anyway, so what was the point?

But to his surprise, Jack's next words were, "Look kiddo, I know how much you'd love to see these artifacts. Your almost-parents found them, I understand this is important to you. But I can't take you with me. They won't let you set a foot into Area 51."

"I have no clearance." Daniel sighed. Of course he knew how these things worked.

"And I can't get a visitor pass for a kid, especially not for you. Sorry." Jack really sounded like he meant it. Giving Daniel a sad smile, he said, "When Charlie was little and I had to go on assignments I used to bring him a gift. I guess that's not gonna work with you, huh?"

"Did you? Bring him something special?" Daniel asked, distracted for the moment.

"Yeah. I used to stop at a toy store on my way home, once I was back."

"Cool," Daniel said for lack of a better word, before bringing the conversation back to the original topic. "When will you be back?"

"Well, we'll take the chopper from Peterson, so we can return home right after we're done. I expect to be back some time tonight. Could be late. Depends on how long Doctor Lee needs to analyze the doohickeys, or whatever he'll do with them. Janet'll make sure you'll eat and go to bed. And," Jack patted the pockets of his green BDU shirt until he found what he was looking for and pulled out a plastic card. Handing it over to Daniel, he continued, "this is your visitor pass. Don't lose it and don't wander around in places you're not supposed to be. It'll give you access to the elevators so you can visit the archaeological library, the gym, the infirmary, and the commissary. Anything else is off limits, especially the gate room and the control room."

Daniel's eyes grew big. "I don't need a guard?"

"Hammond doesn't think you're a security risk anymore. I tried to convince him you're evil and plan to take over the planet, but he didn't listen to me," Jack said, rolling his eyes in mock despair.

Daniel couldn't stop the giggle from escaping. He was still sort of put out that he didn't go to Nevada with Jack, but he understood the rules even though he didn't like them. Sobering, he turned the small plastic card over in his hands. "What made them change their minds about me? And did Hammond agree to let me work here?"

Scrubbing a hand through his salt and pepper hair, Jack said, "Uh, actually, I don't think the general checked back with Washington about the guest pass. He's authorized to make that decision on his own. As for you working here though..." He trailed off and was apparently fishing for words.

Daniel gazed at his feet and the concrete floor, surprised at how much the rejection stung. He had expected to be denied working here. He had even told Jack so. Still, he'd had hopes. Jack had been so sure and Daniel was used to trusting Jack... well, his Jack anyway. And he had automatically trusted this Jack, too. But then it was stupid to think like that. If Hammond felt uncomfortable with the idea, or if the higher ups in Washington wouldn't budge, there was nothing Jack could do about it.

"It's okay, I understand."

"Hey." Daniel automatically raised his head when Jack's finger touched his chin. "We'll talk about it when I'm back, okay?"

"Okay," he mumbled.

"We'll work something out."

"You mean they'll have a plan ready and I have to play along, right? Like the cover story. Or like they forced us to live together?"

But Jack shook his head, his hand still cupping chin so Daniel had to look at him. "You have to understand you won't have unlimited options, kid."

"What's the plan? They already decided what to do with me, didn't they? And you gave your okay because you'll get rid of me once you're back. I know..." The panic welled up inside him like a mini tsunami, threatening to swallow him whole. He fought against it, tried to stomp it down. He had known he couldn't stay.

"Nobody decided anything yet. There are a couple of choices and we'll go through them once I'm back," Jack said firmly.

When Daniel nodded reluctantly Jack let go of his chin and put a hand on his neck, squeezing gently. "Okay?" he repeated, sounding almost desperate.

"Okay," Daniel whispered, biting his bottom lip.

He'd wait until Jack was back to find out what his options were. But if he couldn't go along with them, he had to make a decision soon.

California was supposed to be nice this time of year.

**8**

Jack had to force himself not to make any promises he probably couldn't live up to.

But before he knew it, he started, "Look, I might..."

The ringing of the phone saved him. Giving Daniel an apologetic glance, he picked up the receiver. Walter informed him he had to get ready to leave for Peterson airbase immediately. Doctor Lee was already on his way to the surface. Jack thanked him, hung up, and turned to look at the boy who stared back at him with blank eyes, hiding his feelings the way he'd probably learned long before he had grown up the first time around.

"Go," the child said calmly. "I'll be fine."

"You sure?" Jack couldn't stop worrying, which was new. He thought he'd flatly refused to let the kid get to him this much.

Apparently that had changed over the last few weeks.

"Yes, I'm sure. I'll let Janet know you're gone. Thanks for this." Daniel waved the guest pass.

"I could drop you off at the infirmary..." They left the office together and walked towards the elevators.

"No, you have to get ready. I'm fine."

Jack nodded and watched Daniel swipe his new guest pass through the slot by the doors. A moment later the elevator arrived and the kid walked in, looking incredibly small in the empty car. "Bye Jack," he said with a smile that was too bright, too forced.

"Be good," Jack said. And as an afterthought he added. "Daniel's office is on level 18. Some of his stuff is still there if you want to..." He shrugged, not sure what exactly he was offering.

The doors closed before he could get another glimpse of Daniel's face.

Jack went through the routine of packing an overnight bag with toiletries from the locker room, just in case they had to spend the night in Nevada. He caught up with Lee on the surface. The drive over to Peterson's was short and silent. Doctor Lee was typing away on his laptop and Jack stared out the car window as the landscape rushed by, thinking of the kid he was about to...

He couldn't let Daniel stay indefinitely. Hell, he couldn't raise his own kid, how was he supposed to raise this little genius without screwing up completely. But did Daniel even need to be raised? Jack had observed him. The boy was capable of taking care of himself just fine. He probably just needed a guardian for the record.

And that thought seemed to be wrong on so many levels. He might be capable of fending for himself. But would he be happy? What about his kid-side? Jack wasn't sure he could give Daniel what he needed to coordinate the two sides of his brain. Wouldn't he need special care? Something like a gifted kid program? Wouldn't a boarding school give him exactly what he needed?

And then again, maybe not. Maybe this mini Daniel could decide for himself what he wanted and needed. And what if he chose to stay with Jack? How could Jack tell him no?

How could he not offer a home to the kid who, in some ways, was like a copy of his best friend? How could he refuse to take Daniel in if he wanted to stay?

He didn't have a clue how to get out of this one without feeling like a total bastard.

What was wrong with him? How could this Daniel have knocked such a huge hole in Jack's defenses - just like his own Daniel had. It had taken the kid a little longer to get there and Jack was still fighting it, more out of habit than anything else. He still didn't want to let anyone near him again. But his resistance was slipping more and more with each passing day.

The headache that had been lurking at the back of his head hit full force by the time the chopper landed in Nevada. It was hot and the wind was blowing sand across the wide open landing strip of the base's airport as they headed for the gate. Jack slipped his sunglasses over his eyes as he followed Doctor Lee to the waiting car.

Colonel Harry Maybourne was his usual glib, arrogant self as he toured Jack and Lee around the facilities through labs and secured areas. Jack let his mind stray back to Daniel, knowing the kid would've had a lot more fun wandering around the holy halls of Area 51. He turned out Doctor Lee's techno babble who was engrossed in a conversation with one of the lab geeks. They were examining a doohickey that looked suspiciously like a Pez dispenser, or ridiculous cigarette lighter.

"So, Jack, I heard you've been assigned to baby sitting duties?"

Maybourne's sarcastic voice pulled Jack out of his musings. Immediately on alert, he gave the man a narrow-eyed stare. "Gossip around the water cooler, _Harry_?" He wasn't on first name basis with this guy.

"The NID had to oversee the boy's case. As you know we're keeping a close eye on everything that happens at Stargate command."

"Then you obviously know all the facts," Jack said smoothly.

"I know the facts your General Hammond and Doctors Fraiser and MacKenzie were willing to share," Maybourne replied just as conversationally.

"There's nothing more to it. He's from another reality. He's just a brat."

"He's Daniel Jackson."

"So he is. He doesn't remember much of his former life. There's nothing in it for you." Jack shrugged. "If you want to talk to him, ask Hammond for an appointment."

"Maybe we will, maybe we will." Maybourne brushed an imaginary speck from the sleeve of his dress blue jacket. "MacKenzie's tests shows the kid is very smart for his age."

"I guess some of his knowledge stuck. But the really good stuff's all gone. Poof. Zapped away by whatever shrunk him." Jack feigned boredom and disinterest while his blood pressure rose dangerously.

"Are you sure about that?" Now Maybourne's look became sly. "Tests can be faked."

Jack felt a chill run down his spine. Not giving away his true feelings, he gave the other man another shrug. "I don't think you'd want to waste your time with a kid. But if you want to re-test him, you better go the official way and clear this with your superiors and General Hammond." He hoped the colonel was just testing the waters, trying to figure out whether or not Daniel was more than he pretended to be.

Whatever Maybourne's motives were for bringing up Daniel, Jack refused to take the bait. He changed subject. "What do you know about those artifacts?"

"Not much. We didn't even know they were here until General Hammond called us. They were stored deeply underground, labeled only by year and location of discoverey. Our scientists back then had no idea what they were dealing with."

"And they didn't connect it to the gate at all? Where were they found exactly? Wasn't this stuff found in Giza close to where Langford found the gate?" At least that's what the book had said.

"Nothing in the report mentions the gate in any way. And no, the items were found in Heliopols, which is today a part of Cairo, but used to be a very important ancient city for the gods of Egypt."

"Yeah, I heard about that."

"The Jacksons had them stored in the museum in Cairo till the day they were stolen."

"Any idea how we got wind of the artifacts?"

Maybourne shook his head. "Not a clue. Maybe the Jacksons couldn't place them in any time period and found out they might be extra terrestial. If they reported this somewhere, someone might have informed us. You know how these things go... There were no hints in the report how we learned about the items. But then there is little data about the first opening of the Stargate either. Nobody knew they actually opened it, after Doctor Langford found it, until Doctor Jackson found those tapes. Some things are so classified that not even we at Area 51 know about them." He laughed, a short bellowing sound.

"And some things are so classified only the NID knows about them," Jack said lightly, watching the colonel's eyes narrow for a second.

"Funny," Maybourne said smoothly, then rubbed his hands and pointed at a left turn. "This way. Once I've taken you to the artifacts I have to leave you. There's a staff meeting in my office at fourteen hundred which I have to attend."

Jack knew he wouldn't be able to find out anything about Maybourne's involvement with Makepeace here. He'd have to tie him up and feed him truth serum to get to the bottom of it. The thought made him smile.

"What's so amusing?" Maybourne asked.

"Just thinking about the latest Simpson episode," Jack replied lightly.

Maybourne raised his eyebrows, but didn't bother to reply.

Three elevator rides down and a walk through more corridors later, they entered a room stuffed with high shelves. Everything was secured by sensor lasers and Jack saw enough security cams to catch a mouse trying to find something edible down here.

After taking a look at the ribbon device, Doctor Lee was much more interested in the other artifact. He was kneeling in front of the tall painting, showing Jack's special buddy Ra, with several of his servants kneeling next to and in front of him, offering their god bowls filled with jewellery and other gifts and sacrifices.

"This is an extraordinary piece of art. The frame is made from naquadah as far as I can tell." Lee addressed Maybourne, "Are there any files or data about these items from when they were brought here?"

"Both items had been examined and declared alien artifacts with unknown purpose. Since only Goa'uld or Tok'ra can activate the ribbon device, our scientists were certain it was nothing more than jewelery made from a material that can't be found on Earth," Maybourne said. "But as I told the colonel already, there's very little known about how they got here and why. I guess our scientists ran into a dead end and just stored them away. It happen. You can take a look at the files upstairs."

Lee nodded absently. "Yes, that makes sense. Can both items be moved to a lab? I want to do some tests, especially with this painting." Lee knocked against the frame. "I'd like to analyze the material of the canvas, too, and figure out how old this really is. We have much more efficient ways today to estimate the precise time period this painting was made."

"Sure, why not. I'll have it taken upstairs right away. Why don't you take a break while I arrange everything? Come on, I'll show you to the visitor area." Maybourne turned smartly and a while later they were riding the elevator up again.

Maybourne left them once they had settled in a free lab. There was nothing else for Jack to do than watch Lee study the Ra painting, mumbling to himself as he scraped off bits of the frame to analyze it later. Then he stood in front of the painting and just stared at it as if it was hypnotizing him.

"What's up?" Jack asked, not sure he wanted to know the answer.

"I don't know yet," Lee muttered. "Something."

"Ah."

"It's heavy," Lee said, more to himself than to Jack. "For a painting. It's... very heavy. They couldn't carry it up here, they had to use a cart. Of course, the frame being naquadah it's supposed to be heavy. But still..."

Jack slouched on the uncomfortable chair at the work counter and looked at the painting. "Can you imagine a living room big enough to fit this in?"

Lee gave him a weird glance and Jack held up his hands. "Just kidding."

But the other man suddenly waved at him and nodded excitedly. "YES! It's big. Too big. Well, not in height, but look at this more closely. For a painting the canavas is very thick. And," he carefully pressed a thumb against Ra's abdomen, „very solid. I can't press it in. And it doesn't feel like there's a hollow space behind it."

"What do you think _is_ behind it?"

"I have no idea. I'd have to strip off the canvas to find out, but I haven't found a way to do it without destroying the painting. There's no seam, no joints, it seems to be fused with the frame."

Rubbing a hand over his face, Jack suppressed a groan. "We can't just cut it off. Maybe that thing is booby trapped. Providing there really is something behind that canvas."

"Oh, we can scan it," Lee said. "An MRI scan should do it. I'm sure they have big enough scanners here to do that."

_Great_, Jack thought sourly. He'd be stuck here until whatever the painting concealed was revealed. He gave Lee a curt nod, "Do it."

The man hustled over to the phone and started talking rapidly to whomever he had on the line.

Jack began pacing the room. He felt restless and anxious, not being able to pin down the reason for his unease. He wanted to go back, talk to Daniel.

And tell him what exactly? That he was going to adopt him?

Jack didn't know. All he knew was that he needed to get home ASAP.

Doctor Lee hung up the phone and turned around, his face beaming with scientific glee. "They're sending someone to assist me with a scan, Colonel. This might take a while, depending what comes out of it. But imagine what we might find!"

"Some nasty surprise, I'm sure," Jack said dryly. Nothing good had ever come out of Goa'uld doohickeys.

"We'll be careful," Lee said darkly, knowing all too well the dangers that might be hidden in alien artifacts. But just as Daniel had never been discouraged by potential hidden traps, Lee seemed to shake off his concerns easily and was back to grinning. "It might be a weapon. Or a hidden treasure. Who knows? Technology of some kind."

_Well,_ Jack thought, _a huge honkin' space gun would be nice. _

Two hours later Jack found himself in a briefing among half a dozen geeks, trying to keep track of the conversations going on around him. The scan had revealed that there was something behind the canvas, but not _what_ it was. A dark solid surface, that was all Lee could tell.

They had to wait for Maybourne's okay to remove the canvas, but the colonel was still in his staff meeting. In the meantime the scientists were speculating, brooding over the scan results... there had been no energy readings apparently, no hints of what was behind the canvas.

Could be just more naquadah to make the painting more stable. Could be god knew what.

It was going to be a long night.


	5. Chapter 5 Taken

**Twisted Fate**

**Taken **

**1**

Daniel closed the office door quietly behind him once he'd switched on his desk lamp. The other Daniel's desk lamp. On the other Daniel's desk. His heart was pounding as he stepped up to a shelf and brushed his fingertips over a row of books. He felt like an intruder in this room, yet everything was so familiar, so … his.

He noticed things that were missing. The lack of coffee mugs and coffee maker jumped out at him. His ancient looking stone jar where he'd kept his pens and pencils was gone as well. So was the picture of him on the camel in Giza and the picture of SG-1... and all his personal notes on the bulletin board had been removed. There were still light outlines of square patches where papers had hung.

But most of his books were still on the shelves, like silent reminders of the past when this universe's Daniel Jackson had still worked and probably spent most of his on-world time in this room.

Daniel sat in the desk chair and swiveled around, taking in the light spots on the walls where his artifacts had hung. Some were still here, forgotten or kept in memoriam, Daniel didn't know.

His office seemed dead.

He had no business being here. This wasn't his office, never had been.

Still, he couldn't make himself leave. His small fingers closed around the handle of a desk drawer and pulled. It came open smoothly, revealing post-it pads, notebooks and sharpened pencils.

A noise at the entrance made him spin around, but there was nobody there. However, he was sure he had closed the door behind him. It was open now. Frowning, Daniel stared at the doorway for a moment. When nobody entered, he shrugged. Maybe he hadn't closed it properly.

He pulled open another drawer. Rubber bands, ink pad, paper clips.

Empty file folders in the next one and envelopes with the USAF label on them. Daniel flipped through the stack of envelopes that would never be used now unless someone came in here and took them.

He switched the computer on and waited until the SGC logo appeared on the screen and the little box requiring his log in and password. Heart pounding with excitement, he typed it in. He knew his log in was probably invalid, but...

He was right, his log in didn't work. Feeling disappointed even though he had expected it, Daniel turned the computer off and went to take a closer look at the bookshelves again.

He pulled out one of the Goa'uld dictionaries he had written in his first few years at the SGC. His first attempts had been hand written until he'd gathered enough of the language to put it on the computer and print it. He flipped it open and skimmed one of the pages. His handwriting, yet not his. Creepy in a way. But shouldn't he be used to this by now?

Suddenly he felt chilly, as if a ghost was watching him from a corner of the room. He spun around. Nobody was there. It was ridiculous. But Daniel wanted to leave. He was about to slam the book closed when something fell out of the pages and clattered to the concrete floor.

Puzzled, he crouched to see what it was and found a memory stick. He picked it up and turned it over in his hand. How had this gotten into the book? And what was on it?

He wanted to stick it into the computer, but realized he wouldn't be able to get beyond the log in box.

Daniel placed the book back on the shelf and gazed at the small gray stick he was holding between two fingers. He should hand this over to someone probably. Maybe this Daniel had placed it in the book for some reason and there was valid data on it?

A noise behind him made him jump, but when he turned there was nothing but the empty office.

"This is stupid," he mumbled and then jumped again when Janet breezed in.

"Hey, Daniel, the general cleared you to go home with me. What do you think? He'll inform the colonel he can pick you up at my place tomorrow."

He let the stick slide into his jeans. "Really? Do you have an alarm system? They're all worried someone might kidnap me."

"As a matter of fact, I do. How about we rent a movie. Cassie's gonna love that. We can make popcorn."

"Sure. What movies does Cassie like?"

"Oh, you're our guest so you get to chose." She smiled and put an arm around his shoulder as they left Doctor Jackson's office.

Daniel wandered along the shelves in the video rental, trying to decide which movie he'd like to watch, while Janet waited for him to make his choice with the patience of a saint. She didn't rush him the way Jack had when they'd been at the book store. She just chatted with the gal who worked at the rental shop as he looked around.

He finally chose a movie about a cursed pyramid and a treasure hunt. It seemed to be a little like Indy, but instead of one hero this one featured a team of four, one woman and three guys, who were trying to get around all the traps the pharaoh had set and find the treasure to give it to a museum. He had never heard of this movie before and the treasure hunt team on the cover reminded him of SG-1.

When they picked Cassie up from Janet's sister, she was happy to see Daniel and even more happy when he told her about the movie. "I had no idea mom would bring you home, that's totally kewl," she exclaimed. "Mom, can we make popcorn? And can we stay up late? What's for dinner?"

"Slow down, honey. We'll have pizza for dinner and yes, we can make popcorn, and yes, you can stay up late since it's the weekend and I don't have to work tomorrow..."

"If there's no emergency," Janet and Cassie ended the sentence together and smiled at each other.

"How is aunty Sam, mom? Can we go visit her tomorrow, please?" Cassie asked.

"One should think I could actually stay home when I'm off duty." Janet sighed, but added. "Yes, we can visit Sam. She'll be happy to see both of you."

"Yeah!" Cassie high-fived Daniel, who couldn't help but grin along with her.

After dinner, they settled on the couch with the biggest bowl of popcorn Daniel had ever seen. Janet popped the movie into the player and for the next two hours they watched the famous treasure hunt team jump through all kinds of hoops and battle dangerous creatures.

Daniel wondered if he'd ever find a home like this, where he would feel like part of a family. He wondered if he and Jack could maybe become such a family one day, if they both worked on it. To his surprise he suddenly missed Jack and wondered what the colonel was doing right now in Nevada.

Then his mind wandered back to the memory stick in his pocket. What was on it? He considered asking Janet if he could use her computer later, but worried she might want to know what exactly he wanted to do. Maybe he could use Jack's computer tomorrow without him asking too many questions.

When the movie was over, the dog scratched at the back door in the kitchen.

"Come on, Doggy, do your thing." Cassie opened the door and they watched him take off into the garden. Leaving the door open, she began to rummage around in a cupboard where they kept card games and dice. A lush breeze wafted through the room and it smelled like freshly cut grass and summer. It was almost completely dark now.

Janet was preparing the guest room for Daniel. They could hear her footsteps as she walked around upstairs.

"Where's uncle Jack?" Cassie asked. "Mom said he had to leave very quickly."

"He's in Nevada." Daniel explained. "I didn't even have time to pack a bag. I got a toothbrush and stuff from the SGC. There're always supplies in the quarters in case they're needed."

Cassie finally found what she had looked for and retrieved a box of dice. They sat at the kitchen table and played Yahtzee. Daniel had just won the first game when Doggy appeared in the open door.

"What took you so long?" Cassie teased him.

Doggy came in, his tail wagging as usual, but suddenly he froze in the middle of the room and started to alternately growl and yelp.

"What's wrong with him?" Daniel asked when Doggy retreated back to the door, tail between his legs. Then he turned and dashed out into the garden again.

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe there's a mouse in the pantry. This dog is a total coward when it comes to other animals. Even mice scare him." Cassie got up and closed the door "Mom will let him in later."

They continued to play Yahtzee until Janet came down and announced it was time to get ready for bed.

"But mooom, it's only eleven," Cassie whined. "And we're in the middle of the game. I'm about to win!"

"She really is. For the first time tonight." Daniel grinned.

Janet rolled her eyes. "Finish this game then. But after that I want the two of you to go to bed without further arguments."

When Cassie had won the game, they said good night to Janet and went upstairs. Cassie showed Daniel the guest room and where the bathroom was. When she retreated to her own room, Daniel had an idea. "Hey, Cassie? Can I use your computer tomorrow? I want to check something."

"Sure, no problem."

"Thanks. 'nite."

Before he went to bed, Daniel pulled the memory stick from his jeans pocket and looked at it some more, but of course it revealed none of its secrets. He wished he had thought of using Cassie's computer before it was so late. Now he had to wait till tomorrow.

With a sigh he put the stick back into his jeans, hung them over a chair, and crawled under the covers.

Janet came to check on him a while later. She fussed a little with his blanket and tousled his hair. "Don't let the bed bugs bite," she said. "If you need anything, my room is just down the hallway."

"Thanks, Janet, I'm good."

"I'll better go and see if there's really a mouse in the pantry. Cassie said the dog was acting weird. He probably won't come back into the house all night."

"Will he be okay alone outside?" Daniel asked, worried.

"Oh yes, he has a dog house in the back yard. I'll let him in early in the morning. By then he should have forgotten about whatever scared him. Or he'll be hungry enough to not be bothered by it anymore." Shaking her head she left and closed the door behind her.

Daniel wasn't sure how long he had slept, or what had woken him, but he found himself sitting up in bed, heart pounding. It was still dark and the house was quiet.

But something was wrong.

There was this feeling again, as if he was being watched. Daniel's hand fumbled for the lamp on his bedside table. But when the yellow light flooded his room, it was empty.

Only the door was open.

The same thing had happened in the other Daniel's office this afternoon. The door had been closed and then it had been open. Just like Janet had closed his bedroom door and now it was open.

He'd never believed in ghosts.

Janet must have looked in on him again before she'd gone to bed and left the door open. Yes, that must be it. But Daniel's eyes kept scanning the room to make sure he really was alone. There was a small table, two chairs, a cabinet with a vase of dried flowers on it, a wardrobe and a bookshelf crammed with old books.

Nothing unusual.

Driven out of bed by undefined unease, Daniel padded to where his jeans hung over the back of a chair and retrieved the memory stick. He had no idea why he was doing it, but he closed his fingers tightly around it and took it back to bed with him. Then he switched off the light and lay in the darkness, eyes wide, as he listened to every noise in the house.

He heard a clock chime downstairs and knew it was the grandfather clock in Janet's living room. If he remembered right, she had inherited it from her parents. In his own universe at least.

There... what was that? Didn't that sound like footsteps crossing his room. He held his breath and strained his ears.

Someone was breathing. Right next to his bed.

_Nobody can get into the house without the alarm system going off_, he scolded himself. _Stop being such a wuss._

He switched the bedside lamp on again.

His room was empty.

"Oh, for crying out loud," Daniel muttered and instantly felt better. Channeling Jack was a good way to stay calm. "Nobody's here." He looked around. "Hey! If you're the ghost of Daniel Jackson, could you please leave me alone, so I can get some sleep? Thank you." He switched the light off again.

Ghosts didn't breathe though. Right?

He must have fallen asleep after all because he jerked awake again from a thumping sound coming from the hallway. Then all was quiet again. Daniel waited a few more heartbeats and then slipped out of bed.

His door was closed again.

"Okay," he said to himself. "THIS is really getting very weird now."

He crossed the room and opened his door a crack to peer into the dark hallway. It was empty. As far as he could see in the dark, all doors to the other bedrooms and bathroom were closed.

_I'm losing my mind_, he thought, more than a little puzzled. He stepped out into the hallway, then stood there, listening. Were there more footsteps coming his way? Daniel snuck over to the stairs and looked down. He couldn't see anything but dark shadows in the gloomy moonlight, falling in through the front door window. Were the shadows moving?

"No," he whispered. They were just that. Shadows. He was too old to be frightened of the dark. No monsters hiding in corners. Then why were the tiny hairs in his neck rising? He'd never been afraid at nights, only of his own nightmares maybe.

His hand probed along the wall and found the light switch. Seconds later the upper hallway was bathed in bright light and confirmed what he already knew. Nobody was there. Peering down the stairs again, he couldn't see or hear anything either. For a moment he considered leaving the light on, but then told himself not to be a wimp and switched it off again before he returned to his room and back to his bed.

"I'll count sheep," he muttered as he pulled up his covers. "Or Stargates." Or sheep jumping through Stargates, or ...

"Daniel?" He barely suppressed a yelp when a hand settled on his shoulder and he was pulled around. "You have to get dressed."

It was Janet.

"D...Dressed?" he squeaked. "Why? What happened?"

"General Hammond called. He wants you to return to base."

"Now? Why?" He noticed that outside his window the sky just turned into a dirty gray. He must have slept after all. "Has something happened to Jack?"

"Err, no. Jack is alright. The general wants to know if you found something in Doctor Jackson's office yesterday? Like a memory stick?"

Daniel frowned. "Yeah. It was hidden in a book. How does he know I found it?"

"He wants you to come in and give it back. There's classified data on it," she replied. "Come on. I'll drive you. But be quiet. Cassandra is still asleep."

"Um, I need to go to the bathroom first."

"Okay, but hurry."

When he swung his legs out of bed, he felt something hard under his butt.

The memory stick.

Slightly embarrassed for taking it to bed with him, Daniel jumped to his feet and grabbed the stick to hide it in his hand, hoping Janet wouldn't notice. He snatched his jeans and t-shirt from the chair and scurried out to the bathroom.

As he brushed his teeth, he wondered if he'd be in trouble for taking the stick. But why had it been in that book in the first place? And how had Hammond found out Daniel had it? He could answer that one for himself - security cameras.

Someone was knocking on the door. "Daniel? Can you hurry a bit? I need to... you know..."

It was Cassie.

"Just a moment," he called and rinsed. He jumped into his jeans, stuffed the stick back into its pocket and pulled on his shirt.

Cassie looked rather disheveled and drowsy. She was wearing an oversized hockey shirt that reached way past her knees. "Why are you dressed already? It's not even six yet."

"Your mom woke me. I have to return to base. General Hammond wants something from me."

"Oh, wait up. I'll come with you. We can have breakfast there and see Sam!" She brushed past him and banged the bathroom door shut.

Janet was still in Daniel's room. He noticed with some confusion she was wearing her uniform and lab coat. "Aren't you off duty today, Janet?" he asked.

"What?"

"You're wearing your work clothes..."

"Oh! Yes. Hammond has asked me to stay and work. Are we good to go?"

"Cassie wants to join us. She said we could have breakfast at the commissary and visit Sam... ," Daniel began, but Janet cut him off.

"She has to stay here. I can't drive her back until my shift is over. Let's go, Daniel. Do you have that stick? You should hand it over to me so it won't get lost on the way."

"Oh, it's in my jeans. It won't get lost." For some reason he didn't want Janet to have the stick. An odd feeling of wrongness crept up on him again. Something was going on. He couldn't put his finger on it...

"Fine. Let's go then." Janet seized his arm and rather roughly walked him out of his room and down the stairs.

"Shouldn't you tell Cass we're leaving without her?" Daniel tried to pull out of her grasp, but she wouldn't let go.

"I'll call her later. She'll understand," Janet said, irritated.

When they crossed the hallway downstairs, Daniel noticed the box to punch in the code for the alarm system had been dismantled. Only a cord hung out of the wall.

He stopped dead in his tracks. "What's going on here?"

The hissing sound of a zat being activated was the only answer he got. The cool material of the weapon pressed against his neck. "I wanted this to go smoothly. However, it doesn't matter now. Don't make a sound and walk out the door," Janet said coldly.

"No." Daniel stayed rooted to the spot. "I won't go with you." He couldn't believe Janet was trying to kidnap him out of her own house. That just couldn't be happening. Why would she do something like that? Not Janet. She had been so nice to him all that time, had helped him more than anyone else to cope with being in this universe.

She couldn't...

Running feet on the stairs made them both spin around. Cassie, still wearing her hockey shirt, dashed around the corner. "Daniel! That's not my mom!" she yelled. She was swinging a baseball bat and looked like an avenging angel with her blazing red hair and wide eyes. "Mom's unconscious in her bedroom..."

Then everything happened at once. Daniel gawked as an invisible force pushed Cassie out of the way. Her head hit the doorjamb of the kitchen and she let out a painful scream.

A voice out of nowhere yelled, "Take the boy and get out!"

Janet grabbed Daniel's arm and pulled him out of the house. Struggling and bucking, he was dragged across the driveway.

"I had him eating out of my hand! You ruined everything," Janet yelled at no one in particular. "The alarm system was supposed to be back into the wall by now!"

Again the other voice replied, "I wasn't ready yet! I told you to give me more time! If Fraiser hadn't come down for her stupid dog..."

"I had to act. She won't stay sedated for much longer." The zat was painfully shoved into Daniel's back. "Stop making a fuss! Don't you dare yell for help. I'll zat the girl twice."

Daniel froze in her grip and obeyed. He couldn't risk Cassie getting ... zatted.

Janet... or whoever she was... pulled a radio from her lab coat. "This is Kershaw. The boy has the stick. He's ready. Do it now. I'll stay and clean up here." Suddenly he was free as she pushed him away. But the zat stayed aimed at him. "Move and you're in a lot of trouble, Mister."

Daniel heard yelling from the house. Cassie came running out, swinging her baseball bat left and right, screaming to leave him alone. A small trickle of blood was running down her ghostly white face. He watched open mouthed as the bat hit Janet's... Kershaw's... arm and she lost the zat.

Daniel leaped forward to pick up the weapon, but something wrapped vice like around his chest and waist. Suddenly the ground under his feet disappeared and he was dangling in mid air, two clamps around his body keeping him from moving.

A voice panted into his ear. "Stay still, boy!"

When he heard a low humming above his head, he stopped struggling and looked up. In the pale morning sky he saw the underside of a ship. A detached part of his mind knew it was a Tel'tak and that could only mean one thing. He was going to be... A blinding light engulfed him and he had to close his eyes against it.

Something flung against him and his invisible attacker just before the rings came down around him and he was whisked away.

Daniel materialized in the ring room, still hanging in that vice-like grip of someone invisible.

"Oh, shit," Cassie cried out next to him. A cut off part of her baseball bat was lying next to her on the ground.

"Cassie? Are you... are you okay?" He was lowered to his feet and the hands, or whatever had held him captive, were gone.

"I... I... " She rubbed her right temple and groaned.

"Why did you do that?!" Daniel shouted, forgetting for the moment that he was a kid just like her. All he could think was that Cassie had put herself in danger because of him. "You could have told them who took me! You shouldn't be here!"

"I didn't want them to take you!" Her hand fell to her side and Daniel saw the bruise developing over her right eye where she had hit the kitchen door. At least it had stopped bleeding. Her voice trembled slightly as she continued. "I couldn't have told them _where _they took you! I … I thought I could..." She wrapped her arms around herself. "I thought I could push you out of the way so the rings wouldn't take you. But there was something else blocking the way..."

"That would've been me," the invisible voice spoke again.

Cassie let out a yell and edged closer to Daniel.

But slowly he began to understand. And he was mad at himself for not recognizing this earlier. "Someone is wearing a cloaking device," he said. "Of course. That's why I felt like I was being watched last night. Someone was in my room." The thought creeped him out even more now. Someone had actually been in his room. Undetected, invisible.

The air seemed to shift and a man appeared.

It was Grieves.

And he didn't look happy. "You are too smart for your own good. Hand over the stick now."

Daniel jammed both hands into his jeans pockets, fingers closing around the stick. "Will you let Cassie go?"

"I'm afraid I can't let anyone go." Grieves shook his head. "Stupid girl. Why did you have to jump into the rings? Now Makepeace will have to deal with you. And you," he addressed Daniel, "...you better turn out to be useful. Makepeace has an assignment for you. And if you want the girl to live, you better cooperate."

"I'm just a kid. What do you want from me?" Daniel snapped.

"You don't fool us. We know who you are. When I saw you taking the stick..."

"That was you!" Daniel shouted. "You were in the office with me!"

"Those cloaking devices are handy things," Grieves said, his thin lips curling into a humorless smile. "I was supposed to get you and the stick. Fraiser got in the way, or we would've taken you yesterday already."

"But I only found it by accident. I don't even know what's on it," Daniel tried to keep up his 'I'm just a kid'- cover.

"I overheard O'Neill talking with Hammond yesterday. There's no point in continuing the little boy act. Imagine Colonel Makepeace's surprise when I reported who you really are. He thought you were sent by the Goa'uld to spy on us. Now he's eager to meet you. Finding the stick and Fraiser taking you home made things a tad more complicated, but it doesn't matter now."

"And how did you get into Janet's house?" Daniel asked angrily.

"Oh, Kershaw and I got in when you kids left the back door open. Easiest part of it. We were waiting for you to fall asleep. We wanted to sedate you and carry you out of there. It was supposed to be a quiet, quick event with nobody realizing you were gone until morning. But you kept switching on the light. And I had trouble tinkering with the alarm system so it wouldn't go off when we left the house. And then Fraiser got in the way when I was just about done. She came down to look after her stupid dog and caught me working on the front door. We had to sedate her with the dart that was meant for you."

"You only had one dart with you?" Daniel couldn't help but raise his eyebrows.

"We had to take the rifle and ammo from the SGC, so we couldn't risk taking more. However, Kershaw had a mimicking device and figured the easiest way to get you out was to tell you to go with her."

Daniel couldn't believe there had been intruders in the house with them all night.

Grieves held out his hand. "Give me the stick or I'm going to hurt the girl."

With gritted teeth Daniel handed the memory stick over.

The doors swished open and a dark skinned man, wearing black fatigues, entered. He addressed Grieves. "We are over Cheyenne Mountain now, sir."

"Ring me down into the woods," Grieves ordered, handing the stick to the other man. "Give this to Colonel Makepeace. Kershaw and I will meet at the SGC. We're scheduled to go off world in three hours."

"Yes, sir," the other man said.

Grieves stepped inside the rings and switched the cloaking device back on before he was transported out.

The new guy turned to Daniel and pulled a zat from his belt holster. "You two, come with me."

Realizing they wouldn't get anywhere by refusing to obey, Daniel gave Cassie's elbow a gentle nudge and together they followed the man into the corridor.

They were taken to a holding cell and advised to sit on one of the bunk beds. Then they were left alone and the door was sealed.

Daniel jumped up and began punching the buttons on the control panel next to the door, even though he knew it was pointless. He even started banging against the door, yelling for someone to come and talk to him. He refused to be taken over by fear and concentrated on the anger about being snatched away from Janet's house. He had been in tighter spots before.

This wasn't the end of the world and it wasn't hopeless. As long as he was still alive and had a voice to make himself heard he wouldn't give up. Rule number one; Try to figure out as much about your enemy as possible. Rule number two; Don't bait them too much, but don't let them know you're scared witless either.

It'd be great if Jack was here. Even this Jack. Any Jack would be great right now. But Jack wasn't available and Daniel had been in this situation without Jack before - and survived.

He'd damn well survive this, too.

Hammering at the door was fruitless, so he sat on the floor and thought about what had happened to him.

Grieves had been using Nirrti's invisible cloak. Or one of the Reetou devices. And Kershaw had posed as Janet to lure Daniel out of the house. It made sense. If Maybourne was the leader of the underground organization, they had access to all the technology stored at Area 51 as well.

This was bad. Very bad.

If those rogue soldiers were able to walk in and out of the mountain invisible, or disguised as SGC personal, Maybourn's people had access to everything that was going on at the SGC. He couldn't stand the thought of Grieves and Kershaw being able to walk back into the mountain and go their merry way without being arrested.

The only way to catch them was to check every security tape from the last 24 hours to see if they had actually been anywhere inside the mountain. But if no one knew about the cloaking devices, nobody would find it necessary to check. Daniel hadn't been kidnapped from the SGC. They would concentrate their search around Janet's house.

Janet. If she realized she'd been attacked by an invisible force, if she remembered anything from just before she got sedated, they might put two and two together.

With a sigh he looked down at himself. Here were his limitations again. He wouldn't accomplish much in the body of a ten year old. But then again, maybe he could use his looks to his advantage. He just had to be patient and wait for an opportunity.

"What do they want from you?" The small voice reminded him of the other problem.

Cassie was here.

Daniel paced the length of the cell to get rid of his nervous energy. "I'm not sure how to explain this to you."

"You know about the Gao'uld. Are you from another world, like me?" She bit her lip. "I'm not supposed to share that with anyone."

"That's okay. I know... I know you're from Hanka." He sat down next to her again.

She stared at him. "How can you know that? Did uncle Jack tell you?"

"No. No, he didn't. It's, ah... it's a complicated story, actually."

The ship seemed to tremble for a moment and Daniel felt a familiar ripple run through him. They had entered hyperspace. He realized they might never see Earth again. With a soft sigh he turned and faced Cassie. She looked frightened, but calm. Her blue eyes were wide, almost feverish, and her hands nervously played with the hem of her hockey shirt. But she sat still and when she returned his look, she even smiled a little. "You can tell me. I'm your friend. And besides, I know about classified stuff."

"Okay. But you have to promise me not to freak." He cleared his throat. "I'm Daniel Jackson. I'm just shorter now. And I'm not from your reality."

She blinked. "Daniel? You're... uncle Daniel?"

"Yes. No. Not yours anyway. Have you ever heard of alternate realities?"

Cassie nodded, then shook her head, then frowned. And nodded again. "I know it from sci fi movies," she finally said. "Does that count?"

Daniel shrugged. "I guess it'll do." And with that he began to explain.

**2**

"How?" Jack had to ball his hands into fists and shove them deep into his pockets in order to not grab and throttle the nervous looking guy who was leading the surveillance team at Fraiser's house. "How the HELL could this happen?!"

He'd been called back early this morning when the doc had reported the kids missing. Lee was still in Nevada, playing with the Ra painting and his geeky gang of colleagues. Jack had been bored to death, but even if he'd secretly wished for some reason to leave, _this _hadn't been on his 'distraction list'.

"They entered the house without the alarms going off. We have no clue how they managed to do that, sir. But they didn't leave the same way. They disabled the system to leave the house. They were probably already in here when Doctor Fraiser and the kids came home. We can't tell. There are no fingerprints anywhere so far. But we're working on it, sir," the man replied.

"Doctor Fraiser was shot with a tranquilizer dart and carried upstairs into her bedroom. And you're telling me you can't find any traces?"

"As I said, we're still working on it, sir."

"Work faster," Jack snarled and headed to the kitchen where several men were brushing fingerprint powder off the cabinets, floor, and the backdoor.

Janet sat at the table staring into her coffee.

Jack slipped onto the kitchen bench across from her. "Your coffee is getting cold."

A visible tremor ran through her body as she took a deep breath. "I shouldn't have taken him home."

"Hammond cleared him to go with you. It wasn't your fault." And if what she reported was true, they could have snatched the kid from everywhere. The only question was; why wait until now? There had been enough opportunities to grab Daniel over the last few weeks. Jack had been watching the boy like a hawk, but even he couldn't see invisible people.

He cleared his throat. "I'm gonna drive you back to base."

"I can drive," she murmured absently.

"Those tranquilizer darts could knock out an elephant. You shouldn't drive just yet. Drink your coffee," he ordered quietly. "You look like a ghost."

"The medic they sent with the team said I'm all right."

"Well, you don't look all right to me."

She raised her head and gave him a fierce look. Her brown eyes were unnaturally big in her white face. "Neither do you."

Jack rubbed a hand over his unshaven jaw. "We'll find them," he said, trying to sound a lot more confident than he felt.

"Where? How?"

"Somewhere, somehow. Drink your coffee."

She lifted the cup with both hands and sipped from it. She blinked and looked at him as if she was seeing him for the first time. "Are you okay, Jack?"

"Yeah." But he had to fist his hands again under the table so they wouldn't tremble. "Janet... You said whoever attacked you was invisible..."

She frowned. "If the fact the rifle they shot me with was hovering in thin air is a give away, then yes. I came down to look for Doggy and the alarm system was lying dismantled on the floor in the hallway. And when I turned around I saw the rifle. But nobody holding it."

"Sounds familiar." Jack leaned across the table and lowered his voice. "We know someone who has the doohickey to become invisible."

Fraiser stared back at him blankly for a moment, then understanding dawned in her eyes. "Nirrti," she whispered. "But why? Do you think it was Cassie she was after, not Daniel? But even then... why would Nirrti want Cassie now? For what reason?"

Jack shook his head "Nirrti was taken prisoner by Cronus when they left the mountain after our little negotiation about the Asgard treaty. Unless she escaped him, I don't see how it could be her."

But suddenly his suspicions about Daniel flared up again. What if Cronus had used Nirrti's cloaking device? And what if he'd used it before? He could've put it on Daniel, planted him in Carter's lab and left the SGC undetected with the next team going out. And maybe now the kid's time was up and he had to return. Cassie had probably just gotten in the way somehow...

But the train of thought didn't feel right.

_No,_ Jack thought grimly. Daniel's story was valid. There had to be someone else using the cloaking device.

Jack's phone rang. It was Hammond. "Colonel, we found something on the surveillance tapes from Doctor Jackson's office. I think you should see this."

"We're on our way, sir," Jack said and followed Fraiser out to his truck.

Hammond and Carter greeted them as they entered the briefing room.

"Sam, you should be in the infirmary," Janet chided immediately when she spotted her. But the usual authority was missing from her voice. The women exchanged a look and Fraiser nodded slightly as she slipped into a chair next to Carter.

Hammond waited until Jack was seated, before he explained, "We went through the security tapes to trace Daniel's last steps before he had left the base. To see if he had any unusual contact or did anything that would give us a hint about what happened to him. This is what we found." He clicked the remote and on the large screen they watched mini Daniel sitting at adult Daniel's desk, trying to log on into the computer without success.

Daniel turned the computer off and looked around the office.

"Watch this," Hammond said.

Daniel got up and went over to the bookshelves. It had been Rothman who had cleared the office after the archaeologist hadn't returned from Hathor's planet. Rothman had gone through all the notes, files, folders and scribbled on post-its to determine what was still needed. He had also gone through Daniel's computer and transferred everything that needed to be saved somewhere. The books on the shelves had been left there because the archaeological library was already stuffed.

Carter and Teal'c had taken care of his personal belongings. They had also helped clear out Daniel's apartment. Jack had never set foot in there again after Daniel's death. It had been hard enough to deal with the many things Daniel still had at his house.

On the tape the kid pulled out a book and skimmed the pages. He probably knew the contents, or was bored by them, because he seemed distracted. He turned around once, looking directly into the camera. Then he spun back to the shelf and slammed the book closed.

"There," Carter said. "Something just fell out of it."

Hammond froze the tape just as Daniel picked it up. He zoomed in and what they could see in the kid's hand was a memory stick.

"Whoa," Jack muttered. "What have we got here?"

On the screen Daniel gazed at the stick, then his head came up with a jerk and he looked around the room in alarm. Apparently realizing he was alone, he put the book back on the shelf and then Janet came in.

Hammond froze the tape again. "Well, what do you make of this?"

Fraiser and Carter exchanged a look. The major pursed her lips and asked, "The question is, did Daniel find this stick accidentally or was he looking for it?"

"That's what I'm wondering," Hammond agreed. "He could've been looking for the stick. He seems to be a little skittish. However, if that's the case, he's involved in something. Maybe you were right all along, Colonel. Maybe he is a Goa'uld spy. Sent to retrieve whatever is on that stick."

"Which doesn't explain how the stick got there in the first place. Or who left it there for Daniel," Fraiser said sharply.

They all turned to look at Jack. He raised his eyebrows in a silent "What?", but when they kept staring, he finally shook his head. "Whatever is on that stick, Daniel wasn't specifically looking for it."

It was Hammond's turn to raise his eyebrows. "What makes you say that? He tried to log onto the computer. He looked through Doctor Jackson's desk. For all I know it looks like he was searching for something."

"He's nosy. Our Daniel was like that. Couldn't leave a stone unturned. I guess he was just curious. I told him it was okay to check out the office." Jack said.

"When he arrived on base, _you_ were the one pointing out the kid might be sent by the Goa'uld," Hammond reminded him, his voice unreadable.

"I know. But I've gotten to know him a little better over these last few weeks. He's no spy." Jack hoped for all their sakes he was right.

"Sir," Carter piped up, "May I watch the tape again?"

Hammond nodded and handed her the remote. She let it rewind and they silently watched it again. When they reached the point where Janet entered the office, she let it rewind again.

"What are you looking for, Major?" Hammond asked.

"I'm not sure..." she replied absently.

"Well, when you find it, enlighten us," Jack said, drumming his fingertips on the table. He felt like a caged animal. He wanted to do something, to find the kids and get his hands on the bastards who had taken them.

Hammond turned to him. "Colonel, I want a word with you in my office."

When the general had closed the door, Jack almost burst with tension. Assuming he knew what his CO wanted to discuss, he repeated his earlier statement. "Sir, the kid isn't a spy. I was wrong. He tried to go on a rescue mission and change the time line. He failed and now he's stuck here. That's all there is to it. I don't have hard evidence, but I do believe him. I trust him."

"Right now that's not the most pressing issue. Depending on what the surveillance team gives us to work with, I need a team on stand by for further investigation. I'm thinking of putting you in command."

Jack blinked. "You... are?"

"Yes, Colonel, I am. But if you feel you're too emotionally involved, or if there's any indication the pressure is too much for you, I'll pull you. Understood?"

"Yes, sir."

"Are you sure you're up to this? I have the impression the boy's grown on you quite a bit lately. And you're close to Cassandra Fraiser. Can you give me your word you won't lose your head if the situation escalates?" Hammond's blue eyes were full of compassion, but there was also a warning in them.

They both knew this was Jack's chance to get back on track. To pick up his career and rehabilitate his damaged reputation.

Only Jack didn't care about his reputation or rehabilitation right now. All that mattered to him was finding Daniel and Cassie. He would be grateful to lead the team because it meant he would be doing something. He'd go stir crazy if he had to sit around on base and wait for reports.

"I'll do anything in my power to get Daniel and Cassie back, sir."

"I thought that's what you'd say," Hammond agreed with the shadow of a smile.

There was a knock at the door and on the general's call, Fraiser entered. "Excuse me, sirs. Major Carter found something!"

"There!" Carter froze the tape when Daniel entered the office. "He closed the door." She forwarded the tape a little. "Here's when the camera rotates as he sits at the computer. See that? The door is open again. And it stays open until Doctor Fraiser enters."

"Damn," Jack hissed. "Another cloaking device?"

"Are you saying someone is wandering around my base wearing a cloaking device?" Hammond asked, outraged.

"Looks like it, sir. And I think the reason Daniel is acting so nervous is that he sensed the intruder. Here..." Carter forwarded the tape again, "when he spins around and looks directly into the camera. Look at his face."

"He's spooked," Jack said, his jaw twitching with anger. "Where's SG-13?"

"Off world." Hammond frowned. "You think Kershaw and Grieves are in on this? When Doctor Fraiser reported the kidnapping we checked on them, based on Daniel's suspicions. They've been on duty for the last two days, and never left the mountain. Of course, if they had cloaking devices..."

"...no one would notice if they left without checking out. And then there's Makepeace. He's on leave," Jack said.

"That's another issue. He's AWOL as well. We tried to call him on his mobile. Nothing. According to his wife, he's spending his leave at a campground in the mountains. But when we checked there, we were told he never showed up. I have some of my people calling every motel and campground in the area, asking for him. But he could have gone just about everywhere. And I can't start a proper search until I hear back from DC. They told me to keep a lid on it." Hammond looked like he was about to bang his head on his desk.

"Those cloaking devices had to come from somewhere. Unless it's a Goa'uld behind this, the only explanation is that the same people who stole technology from other planets got their hands on one of Nirrti's cloaking devices and back engineered it," Jack said.

"Actually, it might have been a lot easier than that," Carter said slowly. "We managed to get one from the Rheetou. It's been at Area 51 ever since."

"We need to make sure nobody wearing a cloaking device is still on base. I want a TER sweep, Colonel. Put your team together," Hammond ordered as he rose from the table. "I'll call Area 51 to find out if they're missing something."

"Sir, if I may? I have another idea," Carter said. "If there are moles on base, they'll be warned if we start doing TER sweeps. They could contact the kidnappers and let them know we're on to something. We can't risk Daniel and Cassie being hurt."

"What do you suggest?"

"Let me try to contact Makepeace. He'll recognize my caller ID if I call him. He's waiting for word from me. If I join his group he might lead me to the kids on his own."

"Not gonna happen," Jack snapped. "You haven't been released from the infirmary," he gave Fraiser a side glance and she confirmed with a nod. "and there's no guarantee Makepeace will take you to the kids right away. We don't have all the time in the world."

"But, sir..."

"AND," Jack continued, raising a warning finger, "You were supposed to let him know when he's back from his leave. If he has the kids and you contact him earlier, he'll know you only want to find Daniel and Cassie. He's not stupid."

"All right, people," Hammond interrupted sharply. "We have to do something. I'll put the base under lock down due to a possible Reetou incident. It's not a great cover story, but it's the only believable one. We can't risk having invisible people invading this facility. Colonel, get a team ready and start the sweep. Major, I'll propose your idea to the president, but I have to agree with Colonel O'Neill. We have no guarantee this plan will work."

Fraiser pushed herself out of the chair. "Permission to join Colonel O'Neill's team, sir."

Jack and Hammond exchanged a quick glance. The general gave Fraiser a sympathetic look. "Doctor, I don't think you should..."

"Colonel O'Neill is as involved as I am. Besides, once you know where Daniel and Cassie are, you might need medical assistance. The children could be in shock, or injured."

Jack gazed at her thoughtfully. Fraiser was a brilliant doctor and a fine officer. She was distressed, sure. But she was also right about being a valuable asset once they found the kids. And he knew she wouldn't blow it. She was trained for the field and there was more grit in that little person than in some of the marines Jack had worked with over the years.

"I want her on the team," he said simply.

Hammond looked doubtful, but gave them a jerky nod. "Very well. You're dismissed. We need to get moving." After a pause he huffed. "I'm going to call Washington again."

"Good luck, sir," Jack said with a wince, glad he wasn't the one having to make that particular call.

Carter joined them at the elevator, face pinched with either pain or anger. She still had gauze plastered to her brow and her arm was in a sling. "I can't believe I'm stuck at the infirmary," she bristled. "I'm fine. Just a couple of bruises."

"Sam, I know you want to join us. And I love you for it," Fraiser said softly. "But you're not fine, and you know it. I'm going to release you as soon as I can, but that's not today and not tomorrow. The arm needs to heal and the gash on your forehead was nasty. Until I have at least pulled the stitches, you won't go anywhere."

Jack did something he hadn't done in a long time. He briefly put a hand on Carter's good arm and squeezed gently. "We'll keep you posted. I'm pretty sure the TER sweep will come up with squat. I have a feeling the rats have all left the ship."

"Why Cassie?" Carter asked when they entered Fraiser's office later. "I can see why someone might kidnap Daniel for his knowledge. Or because he took the stick. But why Cassie?"

"She probably got in the way," Jack said. "Maybe she heard something and went to check it out."

"It doesn't matter," Fraiser said flatly. "It doesn't matter why they took either one of them. All that matters is that we find out where they are. That we bring them home safe and sound."

Jack asked the doc for some Tylenol for his headache before he left her office. "I want Feretti and Kawalsky on the team. I'm gonna brief them, then we'll meet at the armory at 14:00. How many TERs do we have?"

"Dad provided us with five TER after the Reetou attack," Carter said. "I'll try to contact the Tok'ra and ask for more."

"You do that." As he'd told his former 2IC, Jack didn't think they'd find anyone hiding at the mountain, but at least they were taking some action.

**3**

Daniel roused from an unsettling sleep full of nightmares of being tied up by invisible ropes, when the door hissed open. He sat up and watched the guy who had brought them here enter with a tray.

"Food," the man said.

"Where are we going?" Daniel asked in return.

"Eat," their guard ordered and left without another word.

"Thanks," Daniel muttered as he hopped from the uncomfortable bunk to examine the meal.

Cassie, who was on the bunk next to him, had her legs hugged up against her body. "I'm cold. I wish they'd given us blankets," she said. "And this... bed... is hard as stone."

Daniel handed her a sandwich. "The Goa'uld aren't known for their comfortable prison cells," he said with a tired smile. "Here, you have to eat."

"Are you serious?" She stared disgusted at the sandwich. "Those might be poisoned."

"They took us because they want something from us. I don't think they'd go through all the trouble to kidnap us only to feed us poisoned bread." Daniel sat down next to her. "Here. I think it's ham and cheese."

"They want something from YOU," Cassie corrected him, her voice clipped. She eyed the sandwich in her hand with great suspicion.

"Yeah, but you happen to be here, too." He couldn't help but smile. "Thanks by the way. You were totally cool when you came running out the house with the baseball bat."

"Mom and Sam always tell me to stand up for myself and others. You're my friend and you were in trouble." She shrugged, but blushed a little and started nibbling on her bread. "Sorry it didn't help much."

"You tried," Daniel said softly. And suddenly he was grateful not to be alone.

"Uncle Jack will find us!" Cassie exclaimed.

And for once Daniel didn't have any doubt. Jack would find them. "Yeah, he will."

Their guard returned a couple of hours later. Talkative as always, he handed Cassie a bundle of clothes. "Dress. I'll be back in thirty minutes."

When the door had closed behind him, Cassie picked up what appeared to be green BDU pants and a black t-shirt. She fingered the material for a moment, then looked at him slightly embarrassed. "Uh... Daniel? Could you, you know... ?"

"Oh, yeah. Sure." He walked away from her and stared at the golden glyph-covered wall until she told him she was ready.

The pants were baggy and too long, but she had rolled them up to the right length. "This stuff is smelly," she said, wrinkling her nose. Instead of the t-shirt she had kept her hockey jersey on. "And they didn't bring me any shoes."

"There probably aren't shoes your size," Daniel assumed. "You could, uh, try on mine? I don't mind being bare foot."

She wrinkled her nose even more and shook her head. "No, thanks."

"You look, uh, great," Daniel offered.

"Like what? Britney Spears? Paris Hilton?" She snorted and then they burst out laughing at the absurdity of the whole situation.

When the door opened again later, Daniel whispered, "Don't be scared, okay? He'll probably ring us down to a planet."

Cassie pressed her lips into a thin line and nodded.

"Come," their guard said, aiming his zat at them.

They were led to the ring room and ordered to stand on the platform. When they re-materialized, fresh cold air and a drizzle of rain hit their faces. It was dark, but one full moon hung above their heads like a ripe lemon, illuminating the gate in front of them. Daniel was pushed to the back and they stumbled forward until they stood by the DHD. Their captor punched in a gate address. Daniel silently kept mumbling the symbols as the man dialed. He had to memorize them.

"Someone is waiting for you on the other side," the guy said when the wormhole settled back into the gate. "Move. I'm right behind you. Don't get any ideas, or I'll zat you."

Daniel felt Cassie pressing against his side. "Did you see the address?" she whispered as they descended the stone steps.

He nodded, then whispered. "Are you okay?"

"I've done this before," she murmured and together they stepped into the event horizon.

When they exited the gate, they were standing in a wide room. Huge neon tubes hung on ragged rock walls, lit by thick cords lying on the uneven ground. This was a gate room in a cavern! Several armed guards secured the gate and every single rifle and P90 was aimed at them as they stood on a metal ramp, not unlike the one at the SGC. The wormhole made a slurping sound as their guard came through behind them, then shut down.

Cassie grabbed for Daniel's hand and squeezed painfully. He bit his lip and tried to stay calm. All they had to do was stand here and wait for someone to come in and say the words...

"Stand down!" The voice was awfully familiar.

"Makepeace," Daniel groaned.

The colonel appeared in front of the row of guards who had lowered their weapons. "Welcome to our little corner of the galaxy, Daniel. Or should I call you Doctor Jackson?"

"You... you're making a big mistake," Daniel said. His fingers went numb in Cassie's grip.

"I don't think so." Makepeace bared his teeth in a wolfish grin and waved at them. "Come on. I want to show you your new work place."

They walked down the ramp together. Daniel wriggled his fingers a bit, but Cassie didn't loosen her hold on them until they stood face to face with Makepeace.

"You brought a friend, I see. That's unfortunate, but can't be changed now. If you cooperate nothing will happen to her." The colonel aimed a zat at them. "Maybe it's not a bad thing we have someone here to motivate you."

Their guard handed Makepeace the memory stick and was dismissed.

Daniel carefully moved his hurting fingers when Cassie finally let go of him. They left the cavern and walked down a bleak corridor, similar to the SGC. Armed guards stood at the few doors they passed, all hard looking, gloomy men. They entered a double door and crossed some kind of lab. People in white coats were working on what appeared to be experiments on alien devices. Nobody paid them attention and Makepeace didn't slow down to introduce them.

Another corridor with guarded doors, then Makepeace led them through another lab. Here Daniel's eyes caught a tank, filled with what appeared to be water. A team of scientists were quietly discussing something.

Makepeace stopped and addressed one of them. "Any progress, Doctor Gadzia?"

"None. There's still some element missing. I won't bore you with the details, but we need a new symbiote soon. The one we're currently using will die in the next couple of hours. It's damaged. And the other one we have needs to be prepared for more tests."

"Grieves and Kershaw will provide us with symbiotes as soon as possible," Makepeace said, disgust lacing his voice.

Doctor Gadzia's small eyes settled on Daniel. "Is this the genius kid you were talking about? Didn't know there were two of them."

"Yeah. He's just arrived." With that he waved his zat at Daniel and Cassie to move on.

"How many people work here?" Daniel asked, for the moment overwhelmed by how large this base seemed to be.

"Enough to make a difference and finally enable Earth to fight the Goa'uld," Makepeace snarled.

"With technology you've stolen from our allies."

"Our so called allies don't feel like sharing anything with us. We need weapons to defend our planet, not good buddies who won't move a finger to help us when it comes down to it," Makepeace said fiercely. He briskly opened another door and they were ushered into an office. The guard posted outside followed them. "Take a seat, Daniel. You..." he looked down his nose at Cassie, "will be escorted to one of our holding cells. And you better not throw any fits."

"I'm not going without him," Cassie said. She had kept quiet ever since they stepped through the gate, but now she got her voice back."We won't be separated."

"Cassie," Daniel tried to reassure her. "It'll be okay." He knew there was no point in arguing at this moment. They shared a long look and finally Cassie sighed and nodded.

"Take her away, Johnson," Makepeace ordered. "Daniel and I are going to have a little chat and then he'll join you in your cell, girl."

When the door had closed behind them, Makepeace said, "Be a good boy and maybe we'll even send her home."

Daniel stared into the man's face. "You're lying. You can't send her home. She already knows too much."

"Maybe we have a way to erase her memories."

"You're just trying to make me cooperate."

"And you _will _cooperate if that girl means anything to you." Makepeace pointed at a chair. "Sit."

Daniel stood rooted to the spot.

Makepeace grimaced. "Fine. Stand. They didn't match your stubbornness to your size, I see. You're still a pain in the neck."

Daniel kept silent.

"That stick you took from the other Daniel's office," Makepeace began without further ado, "contains very important data. However, we need someone to translate it for us. When we realized we had nobody to decipher the glyphs, we thought our project had been pushed back for years. Because the only man who would have been able to do the job was dead."

"It's your own fault. You killed him."

"Trofsky killed him. We merely provided a way for Hathor to get her hands on SG-1."

Daniel balled his hands into fists. "You wanted them out of the way, because they were getting close to the truth."

To his surprise Makepeace let out a sigh and shook his head. "If it gives you any comfort; killing SG-1 was an order from our superiors. And yes, they were getting too close to the truth. But Doctor Jackson was too valuable to be killed. Even I know that. However, my CO didn't agree with my assessment. But what's done is done. I wished it was O'Neill who'd gotten killed, not Jackson."

"You sold SG-1 to your enemy when you told Hathor where to capture them. That's disgusting," Daniel spat.

"Again – orders from high up. Not my idea. We were told once SG-1 was out of the way we'd get rid of Hathor anyway, so no harm was done by giving her the premier team. O'Neill ended up killing her for us. But that's not the point now." He paused and scowled at Daniel, then shrugged and continued, "When you showed up, we weren't sure what exactly you were. But now it turns out you're carrying all his knowledge. You're like a gift."

Daniel looked around the office and tried to appear bored. But his heart started pounding. The explorer in him, the linguist, wanted to know what was on the stick.

As if reading his thoughts, Makepeace went on, "Curious? We retrieved the data from the archaeological library where it was among Doctor Jackson's notes and discs."

"So it was something your Daniel discovered. And you took it? But why now. Why wait a whole year to steal it?" Daniel couldn't help but ask.

"Rothman kept a close eye on Jackson's stuff. And there was tons of data that needed to be sorted out and saved elsewhere when others took over Jackson's work. We had to be very careful not to take it too soon, or someone would have noticed. Kershaw managed to get her hands on the files we needed a couple of days ago and made a copy of everything. But due to a tight working schedule she had no opportunity to deliver it right away. So she hid the stick in Jackson's office until Grieves would pick it up. But you were faster. Did you take a look at it?"

"No," Daniel said. "There was no time."

"Ah. Well, you'll get the opportunity very soon. Your first task is to translate what's on the stick and work with some of our physicists and engineers. If you do a good job we have more work for you."

"What about Cassie?"

"Maybe she can make herself useful, too." Makepeace shrugged. "You're not going anywhere anytime soon. We'll find something to occupy her."

Daniel swallowed. The thought of being kept prisoner for god knew how long was becoming very real. And Cassie? How would she cope with having to stay in this base for a very long time? And if Jack never showed up? "She... she needs socks and shoes," was all Daniel could say.

"Are you going to work with us?"

"Yes," he murmured. What other choice did he have?

"Good. I'll show you your new room. If you prove yourself worthy, you and the girl will be moved from a holding cell to real quarters." Makepeace seized Daniel's shoulder and marched him out of the office, down the corridor.

The cell only had a force field, no door. Cassie sat on yet another bunk bed. When she spotted Daniel she smiled tentatively.

"There's a bathroom attached to the cell," Makepeace pointed to a small door. "You'll find a shower there and everything you need. Someone will bring you clothes and dinner later." He switched off the force field and Daniel was pushed through before it was activated again.

They were alone.

Again.

"This is getting old," Daniel muttered.

Cassie didn't say anything. She gazed down at her dirty feet.

"They want me to translate something. And they'll bring you shoes," Daniel said after a while, to break the heavy silence.

"Mom would have a fit if she saw me now. She has a real thing for hygiene," Cassie said quietly. She lowered her face to her pulled up knees and started to cry. She didn't make a sound, but Daniel could see her shoulders tremble.

He sat down, wrapped both arms around her and put his head on her shoulder. Her long hair made his nose itch. She smelled of dust and a little bit sweaty, but there was an underlying scent of strawberry shampoo and bubble gum. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," he whispered. "It's all my fault. I should have stayed on base and not gone with your mom."

She sniffled and hiccupped, then pushed him away as she jumped to her feet. "Stop that, I'm okay." She wiped at her face and crossed her skinny arms over her chest. "Uncle Jack will find us."

"Yeah," Daniel mumbled. He only hoped 'Uncle Jack' would know where to look for them.

**4**

"At least let me drive over to Janet's house and see if the surveillance team missed anything." Carter cringed when Fraiser pulled off the gauze at her brow to take a look at the gash.

"They turned over every stone and every leaf..." Jack started, but she cut him off.

"Janet can join me and make sure I don't faint." When he glared at her, she added, "Sir."

He turned to Fraiser. Her gloved hands carefully probed the swelling around the gash. "It looks good. If she doesn't do somersaults or sprints, the stitches should hold." Addressing Carter again, she added, "But I'm worried about the arm and shoulder. You have to keep it in a sling to hold it still."

"But I'm not bed bound, right? And we could use Doctor Felger's new scanner to find out where they went."

"IF that thing works." Jack was convinced Felger could build a bomb from a soda can and duct tape – it just wouldn't work. There was always something blowing up or backfiring when he was involved. "How long has he been on that project anyway?"

"Only since last night. But he said they're making good progress and the prototype should be able to track someone who used the cloaking device."

"Even after they're long gone?" Jack didn't buy it. Not if Felger was involved. "How's that gonna work?"

"The cloaking device leaves some kind of trace in the air. Particles."

"What? Like radioactivity?"

"No, it's not radioactive, so we can't track it with a Geiger counter. The marker, or exhaust if you will, is a weak energy field emitted by the cloaking device. It lingers for a while wherever the person wearing the device goes. So we might get a trace at Janet's house."

"How long does it linger?" Jack asked. "It's been two days since the kids were taken." Two damn days and they still had squat.

"We don't know that, yet. But there's no reason not to try." Carter said.

"I could drive her," Janet offered. "I'll fix the arm with a splint and put it in a sling to keep it still. The access tube might be a problem. Are you sure you can handle that, Sam?"

"It's been a while since I climbed a ladder with just one hand, but I'll deal," she said with a shrug.

"Does it say Colonel anywhere on my uniform?" Jack huffed. He was tired, pissed off and frustrated. The surveillance team had found several footprints of military boots in Fraiser's kitchen and the hallway, which could belong to just about anyone. At least they had determined that whoever intruded had come through the back door. They also found fingerprints of Fraiser, Cassie and Daniel all over the place. But none of the kidnappers. They must have worn gloves.

Just as Jack had assumed, the TER sweep of the base had come up with nada, zilich. No invisible forces currently in the mountain. The base was still on lock down. Nobody – not even invisible people – went in or out through blast doors. There were two guards armed with TERs at the access tube on level 19.

They were grasping at straws here.

"I'll run it by Hammond." He scowled at Carter and Fraiser. "If he approves of your idea we'll all go."

It didn't take long to convince the general to let them take another look at Fraiser's house. They didn't have much to work with. And they couldn't keep up the Reetou cover story for much longer. In order to interrogate Kershaw and Grieves, SG-13 had been ordered to gate home before the lock down had been initiated, but they were either AWOL or something was wrong with communication. There had been no response. Hammond had sent out an S & R team to find them and escort them back once the lock down was over.

Jack helped Carter out of the access tube. Lock down meant all gates and checkpoints to the surface were sealed, so they had to use the emergency exit. He gave her a sharp look when she winced. She had climbed the metal ladder one handed, her other arm in the sling Fraiser had put on her. She gave him a crooked grin and muttered, "I'm fine, sir."

They made good time on their hike to the road and down to the parking lots. The mountain complex lay deserted, the gates were closed, the shuttle bus no where in sight.

The guards and snipers patrolling the check points and roof had been advised to let them leave without interference.

"So, if Felger's doohickey works we'll find out where they went?" Kawalsky asked Carter when they all squeezed into Jack's truck. He, Jack and Ferretti had carried the equipment in backpacks which were now in the truck's bed, hidden under a tarp.

"It hasn't been tested properly yet, but... yeah, that's the idea," Carter confirmed.

The day was hot and the neighborhood quiet. People had gone to work and closed their drapes and shutters to keep the heat out. Hopefully no nosy old lady or gentleman would notice the group of people exiting the black Ford F250, carrying several back packs into Fraiser's house.

They gathered in the kitchen. Fraiser started coffee in an effort to control her nervous energy. "The powder is still everywhere," she griped. "One would think they'd clean up after themselves!"

Kawalsky and Feretti unpacked the back packs under Carter's watchful eyes and spread out the contents on the table.

Felger had dismantled and remodeled a TER into something that looked suspiciously like a toaster to Jack. Well, a very fancy futuristic toaster, with wires coming out of the slits, but he immediately thought of toasted bread when Carter set up the device and hooked it to her laptop.

"We should get readings when we do this." She handed each of them an item that looked like a mike. She switched hers on and held it out in front of her. "Just walk through the house slowly. The detectors should send their energy readings to the device which will transfer them to my laptop. Oh, and you should get a green light at the top of the detectors if there are energy traces."

"How do you know so much about this thing? I thought Felger created it just last night?" Feretti eyed his mike thingy as if it might bite him.

"I gave him the idea," Carter said. "And he kept me posted on his progress while I was lying around in the infirmary."

"Hey, why didn't you say so in the first place? I'm much more confident now," Jack said. "So when do we start?"

"Now. The laptop is ready and so is the device. Thanks, Janet." Carter took the coffee mug from the doc and sat at the table.

Jack rubbed his hands, glad he was about to do something productive finally. "Kawalsky, you take the backyard. Feretti, try the driveway. I'll take a look at the front door. Carter, you... do your thing. Doc, you're with me."

They methodically searched the hallway and when Jack held his detector close to the alarm system panel that had been re-installed by the surveillance team, there was a short flicker of green light. "I got something," he called out to Carter. Then it was gone again.

Fraiser, who examined the front door, said, "Nothing here. Oh, wait... there... Sam?! Do you get any readings? There seemed to be something just for a second and then it was gone again."

"I have to make further adjustments," Carter replied from the kitchen. "Hold on a second... Try again now!"

They waved the detector in the general direction of the door and alarm system. This time not even a flicker of light showed up. "I got nothin'," Jack growled. "CARTER!"

"I'm trying, sir!" There was a string of curses and a loud bang from the vicinity of the kitchen.

"Did she just hit the toaster?" Jack raised an eyebrow at Fraiser, who gave him an irritated look in return.

Feretti came back inside, shaking his head. "I'd say this thing isn't working. Or it's been too long since they left here."

They all met in the kitchen again. Kawalsky reported no green lights in the backyard. Carter looked pinched as she glared at the toaster. "It should work! Give me a few minutes to re-adjust something, then we'll try again."

"I KNEW Felger can't build a toaster properly," Jack snarled.

"What is it with you and toasters, Colonel?" Fraiser snapped.

He didn't answer, but spun on his heel and headed out. "I'll take another look outside."

Of course there wasn't anything to find. The surveillance guys had checked for car tracks and couldn't find any that didn't belong to Fraiser's SUV. The driveway was concrete, so no good foot prints there either.

He crossed the lawn and went over to the garage where the hoop hung. Doggy, who'd been hiding - probably scared by the people stomping all over his home - came out of his dog house and trotted over to Jack, wagging his tail.

Giving Doggy a quick back rub, he muttered, "There you are, you little moron." Jack had never seen such a wimp of a dog. Doggy jumped up and down, trying to lick his hands, but Jack pushed him away. "Get off. I don't have time to play."

He picked up the ball lying in the grass and stared at the hoop, remembering how they'd been here for dinner and the kids had played while he'd tried to convince Janet to take Daniel in. Jack's thoughts wandered to the day where they'd played basketball in the park. The day when Daniel had been hit by the bike and ended up in the hospital.

Jack clamped both hands around the ball.

Dammit! Everything he was involved with shattered around him like glass. The kid had been his responsibility. It didn't matter that he'd been out of town while it happened. He should have taken Daniel with him and pressed Maybourne to give the kid access to Area 51. He doubted anyone would have dared to snatch Daniel away from him. And if he'd taken Daniel with him the kid wouldn't have found that memory stick in the first place... If something happened to Daniel and Cassie, he'd have another failure to deal with. Another one he could never put right again.

_Hey Jack, feeling sorry for yourself again?_

He threw the ball and it swooped through the net. "Shut up, Daniel," he growled softly.

"Sir?" Carter was greeted by Doggy and she bent down to scratch behind his ears.

Jack picked up the ball, threw it again, and scored once more. "It's just me talking to myself, Carter. Nothing to worry about."

"The scanner doesn't work." She walked to the garage and sat down in the grass with her back against the wall. She cradled her injured arm with the other and closed her eyes against the glaring sun. "It needs more testing. I... I was sure... ."

"We don't have time for testing," he barked and kicked the ball hard. It shot across the lawn and rolled under a row of thorny bushes enclosing the driveway on both sides. Immediately Doggy chased after it and squeezed himself between the plants. Jack yelled after him to come back, but as usual, Cassie's beloved pet either ignored him, or maybe didn't even know its own name. Stupid dog would end up with thorns in his paws.

"Giving the TER scanner a go was our best shot," Kawalsky said as he joined them. "She was right to try."

"I'm going to assist Felger. Maybe together we'll figure it out. It's better than doing nothing," she said, sounding defeated. "I know we don't have the time. But we don't have much else to do. At least until SG-13 is back and we can interrogate Kershaw and Grieves."

Jack gritted his teeth and nodded. He reached out his hand to help her up and she took it. "Let's get back," he decided. Maybe SG-13 had called in by now and would gate through as soon as the lock down was lifted. Jack would love to have a nice long chat with Grieves or Kershaw.

They trudged back to the house in brooding silence when suddenly Doggy burst out of the bushes, dragging something with him. Carter stopped and crouched to take a look, "Doggy's got something."

"That's just the basketball," Jack said impatiently, not even looking the dog's way. "It must be the first time that dog actually found something." He loved dogs, but this one was a joke. To think that he'd been the one who picked it... But Cassie loved the mutt to bits, so maybe that was all that mattered.

"No, it's something else. Give it here, Doggy. Good dog. Yes, come on, give it to me," she coaxed the animal. Happy with the praise, Doggy let go of his find. When Jack looked at it, he saw a thick piece of red and yellow painted wood.

"It's been cut off from something," Carter muttered as she brushed her fingertips over the splintered end, wiping dog drool from it.

"That's a baseball bat," Jack said as he checked the dog for thorns, but couldn't find any. "Must be Cassie's. What the heck happened to it? And why didn't the surveillance guys find it?" Jack made a mental note to have a chat with their team leader about proper investigation. Then again, this piece of wood probably didn't mean anything. Maybe it had been broken a long time ago and forgotten under these nasty thorny bushes.

Fraiser and Feretti came out to join them. "Tthat's Cassie's baseball bat. Oh my god, something cut right through it." She paled. "I'm sure it was still whole a couple of days ago. Let me see that." When she had examined it, she sighed. "No visible traces of blood. That's a good sign, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Jack said absently, looking around for the other end of the bat. Kawalsky, apparently on the same page, was crouching to peer under the bushes.

"Nothing here," Kawalsky reported. "Weird. It couldn't be that far off."

Carter looked at the broken bat. "I want to take it with me and analyze it, sir."

"Sure, go ahead. I'll get the toaster. Feretti, Fraiser, give me a hand," Jack ordered.

They packed everything and carried it out. Fraiser locked the house after putting some food and fresh water out for Doggy. This had been a waste of time. Jack drummed his fingertips on his steering wheel as he stared at the deserted neighborhood. They were running around in circles.

Jack wouldn't want to be in the general's shoes right now. Invisible intruders on base from within their own ranks... Washington was having a fit over this and Jack wasn't kidding himself. If it came down to it, the lives of two children were the least of the government's worries.

When he entered the general's office, he found his CO talking on the red phone.

This could be good. Or bad.

At a wave from Hammond, Jack settled in one of the chairs and waited for the general to end his call. When he finally did, he folded his hands over the stack of files on his desk and gave Jack a tired look. "The president has just called me back." Hammond hesitated, but when Jack didn't reply, continued, "This is a very unfortunate situation."

"We're screwed," Jack said, adding, "Sir."

Hammond gave him a grim snort. "We had people using cloaking devices illegally on base. And god knows how many of our officers are involved in Makepeace's underground group. This is a hornet's nest and I have a feeling we're just at the beginning."

"What are our orders?"

"You're not going to like this, Colonel. "I" don't like it." Shaking his head, Hammond stared at his hands for a second, then he took a deep breath. "Our first priority is the safety of this base and the Stargate program. And to find out who exactly is involved with Makepeace."

"Maybourne."

"That's another can of worms. We're in no position to interrogate him. Actually, we need to make sure he doesn't figure out we're after him. He'd have plenty of time to destroy any evidence of his involvement and warn his people so they can move to another location if he even suspects we're close to the truth." The older man swiped a hand across his bald head and grimaced. "However, it might already be too late. He might already know we're on to something. It depends on how good their network of communication works."

When Jack opened his mouth, Hammond held up a hand. "Makepeace put himself under suspicion by trying to recruit Major Carter to his organization and by vanishing during his leave. Kershaw and Grieves have officially deserted SG-13. Either one of them might have warned Maybourne already."

"What?!"

"The team I sent after SG-13 found Colonel Reynolds and Captain Lowe in negotiation with the leaders of the native tribe about the treaty. They were held at the tribe's village most of the night to participate in several rites and a feast. According to Reynolds, he and Lowe had been slightly drugged and can't remember much of what happened after the feast. They fell asleep in the tribe's Chief's tent. Kershaw and Grieves were guarding the gate. They must have received our re-call order, but ignored it. When our S and R team came through, they were gone. They're searching the area around the gate, but so far there's no trace of either Kershaw or Grieves. I assume they have cloaking devices, too, and already left to god knows where."

"Aw, crap."

"There's more. I was hoping to have a reason for interrogating Maybourne once we found the Reetou cloaking and mimick devices were missing from Area 51. But they're exactly where they should be. I had it checked. I assume they back-engineered them and put the originals back where they belonged."

"Maybourne is the one covering everyone else's six! What are we supposed to do? Nothing? And Makepeace might have the kids. We need to start a proper search," Jack said fiercely.

"I've been ordered to fly to DC for a hearing. Kinsey thinks I might be compromised by the bad guys."

Jack's jaw hit the floor. "That slimy son of a..."

"Our standing orders are to be as discreet as possible. A rogue branch of military – it's unthinkable. Word can't get out something like this is happening. My assumption is, they want Major Carter to join Makepeace and destroy his organization from within."

"What about Daniel and Cassandra? If this is going to be covert op it might take us weeks to get a break through! IF he's even still going to allow her in now." Jack knew he shouldn't be yelling. He controlled his anger and gritted his teeth until his jaw hurt. "The scanner Felger built isn't working. But Carter says, with a little prodding and testing, they'll fix it," he finally reported in a more controlled voice.

Hammond nodded thoughtfully. "If the scanner doesn't work, Major Carter might very well be our only chance to find the children."

"And maybe it'll be too late by the time Makepeace trusts Carter enough to take her to that base he was talking about. For all we know he could be standing right next to us, laughing his ass off because we're grasping at straws," Jack objected.

Hammond seemed to age rapidly right in front of Jack, his blue eyes sad and weary. "Jack, Kinsey is raving and railing. You know we're not exactly on the good Senator's Christmas list. And he was in that meeting with the president. Give me something to work with and I'll do everything humanly possible to support you. And let's hope I can convince the president and the Joint Chief's I'm not compromised."

"It's a damn farce. Kinsey's wanted you gone ever since he's known about the program. He wants all of us gone."

"I know that," Hammond said impatiently. "But I have to attend the hearing nevertheless."

Realizing the conversation was over, Jack stood and nodded. "Is there anything else, sir?"

"Get that scanner to work, Colonel. And pray we'll find traces of them to figure out where they took the kids. And that they're still on Earth."

"Yes, sir." He left Hammond's office and managed not to slam the door.

Minutes seemed like hours, hours seemed like days. Jack debriefed his team and sent them back to their regular duties until further notice. He lingered in Felger's lab to peer over his and Carter's shoulder, until the Major quite frankly told him he was making everyone nervous and could he _'please go away, sir?'_ Jack knew the only one nervous was Felger, but he indulged her anyway.

He made a detour to Fraiser's office, but she wasn't in the mood to talk and brusquely informed him she had paper work to do. Her eyes were red rimmed and dark with worry.

Jack found himself unable to leave. So he looked over her desk for something to occupy his hands with. Daniel... Daniel always had stupid rocks and thousands-of-years-old doohickeys everywhere in his office. Fraiser's neat orderly desk gave him nothing to play with.

"We'll find them," he offered the next best platitude. And hated himself for it.

She started to rearrange files, her hands trembling slightly. "You keep saying that."

"We will. If it's the last thing I do." Another platitude. Only he really meant it.

"Cassie probably doesn't even have real clothes on. I think she was in her night shirt when they took... you know, that Cannucks jersey you gave her for Christmas last year? The one she never seems to grow into. It's still more a dress than a shirt. I hope she's not cold, wherever they are."

"C'me on. I'll buy you lunch."

"I can't eat."

"Follow your own orders, Doc. You have to eat. I need you in good shape."

"Jack..."

"I'm gonna make it an order."

She grimaced and muttered something about needles and cold rubber gloves, but accompanied him to the commissary.

It was crowded. The lock down forced everyone to eat here and the room was brimming with chatter and the smell of cabbage or stew.

They chose sandwiches and bottles of sparkling water. Jack grabbed his obligatory apple pie and they hightailed it out of there, seeking a quieter place to eat. They ended up in one of the small meeting rooms.

For a while they ate silently, but when Jack reached for his pie, he paused. "Remember when Daniel stole my pie?" He poked at it with his fork. "He never got to eat it. I told him if he didn't finish his Mac and Cheese he wouldn't get dessert."

"Normally I'd agree with that," she muttered.

"But?"

"At that time Daniel needed encouraging. He was still in shock and he'd just recovered from a light case of radiation sickness. You shouldn't have taken the pie from him." She glared at Jack over her open water bottle.

Jack pushed the plate away. "I know. I'll make up for it when he's back."

"Will you?" Her brown eyes bore into him, but this time he didn't look away.

"I brought him something from Nevada," he said, feeling kind of embarrassed. It had been a stupid spur of the moment thing. "He'll probably hate it, but..."

"What is it?"

"Well, we had to stop at a gas station because I had a craving for candy and there was still time before the chopper came to pick us up. They had those little Roosevelt aliens, you know? 12inch dolls with rubber legs and arms and huge black eyes. The ones that look like Thor? When you squeeze him he talks."

Fraiser stared at him. "What does it say?"

"Greetings, Earthling. It even kinda sounds like Thor."

"You bought that for Daniel? Colonel, I hate to break it to you, but I'm not sure he'll appreciate that kind of gift..."

"Hey, I might not be the best guardian the kid ever had, but I figured he really needs to loosen up some." In reality Jack had spent most of the trip back to Colorado second guessing his choice of gift. He couldn't picture Daniel appreciating the Thor doll. But when he'd been at the gas station and seen the little alien, he'd felt the urge to buy it. Probably because he'd told Daniel about bringing home gifts for Charlie. Charlie would have loved the silly little toy at Daniel's age.

Daniel wasn't Charlie. But Jack had had no idea what else to buy his newly acquired kid at a gas station in the middle of nowhere. The only books there had been were road maps and everything else was the same junk as the puppet. He hadn't wanted to come home empty handed. Somehow that had seemed important at the time.

"I'm sorry," Janet murmured. "I'm sure he'll like it."

They finished their lunch in silence.

An hour later the phone on Jack's desk rang.

"Carter," he greeted her with false confidence. "Don't tell me – you fixed the toaster?"

"No, sir. But I got something on the baseball bat."

Jack sat up straight. "What?"

"I'd rather not do this over the phone. Can you come down to my lab?"

"On my way." He slammed the receiver down and almost sprinted out of his office.

"There are traces of naquadah on it?" Fraiser frowned at the broken end of the bat on Carter's work counter.

"Yes." Carter didn't look happy.

Jack had a very bad feeling about this. "Bottom line, Major," he ordered. He wasn't in the mood for lengthy scientific explanations.

"There's a very small possibility I'm wrong. But from the tests I ran, and the traces of naquadah I found, I'd say this baseball bat got caught and cut in half by rings. It must have been in the way – probably lying in the middle of the driveway – and the rings hacked through it. It would explain why the other half is missing. It probably got ringed up along with Cassie and Daniel."

A deadly silence settled over the room as the whole impact of that explanation hit them.

**5**

"Wow," Daniel whispered. He moved the curser over the glyphs to zoom them in on the wide computer screen.

The screen was bigger than any he'd ever worked with at the SGC. He had several windows open with different sections of the text he was supposed to translate.

Oh, but it wasn't just ordinary text!

The glyphs were medieval Goa'uld, one of the oldest dialects he knew. Actually, he could have used his old notes and journals to translate some of it. However, he wasn't at the SGC, so he had to figure it out on his own. He knew the basics of this dialect, but the work would have been easier with some of his books at hand.

He was looking at one of Imhotep's journals. A part of his library.

At the moment he was studying pictographs illustrating the text's contents about the complex and difficult process of producing balm for mummification. More and more files popped up and Daniel licked his lips as he began reading in random order, totally engrossed in the wonders of knowledge.

Once he got used to reading this kind of dialect he was confidently translating most of it without much difficulty.

There were old plans of aqueducts, pyramids and... motherships. Apparently Imhotep had designed upgrades on Goa'uld motherships. Now, that was interesting...

Daniel found plans and blueprints, all in the same old Goa'uld dialect. It dawned on him why they needed him for the translation. In his own universe he would have been the only linguist at the SGC able to read this old dialect. Daniel loved languages. And when he had learned enough Goa'uld to decipher writings on artifacts and cartouche's, he had studied the old dialects as well as he could.

Jack had always made fun of Daniel's love for dead languages, dead rocks and dead artifacts. But there it was. The beauty of hieroglyphs – no matter if hewn into stone tablets or temple walls, yes, even on the golden walls of Goa'uld temples and ships - fascinated him. The written word was intriguing, too, but glyphs were not just words, they were art in itself.

Someone had hewn these glyphs into stone tablets with much care and precise accuracy, had spent days, weeks, maybe months recording Imhotep's plans, ideas and formulas. That someone was long gone, nothing but dust in the wind. But his work was still here, after all those centuries still readable. Like a legacy.

And the other Daniel Jackson had recorded it all on tape. Daniel felt as if he was finishing what his counterpart had begun when he'd put the files together.

"How is it going, boy genius?" The voice brought Daniel back to the here and now. He looked up into Makepeace's face.

"I can translate this, but I need time. Lots of time." That wasn't a lie. He would need time. But he was determined to stall as long as possible and pretend to need way longer than he normally would. Maybe Jack would find them. Maybe they'd find a way out of here on their own. There had to be a possibility for him and Cassie to escape from here. They just had to be patient and wait for it.

"What do you need?"

"Dictionaries from the SGC. From Doctor Jackson's former office. It's all there." If he could get them to steal books, maybe they'd get caught. Though the cloaking devices would make stealing something easy. But someone might realize there were books missing eventually.

"Write a list. We'll provide you with what we can as soon as possible."

One of the soldiers rushed in and addressed Makepeace. "Grieves and Kershaw are here, sir."

Makepeace spun around. "What? Why? They're supposed to stay at the SGC to keep us posted about what's going on there."

"There's trouble," the soldier said. "Kershaw claims they were being framed."

Daniel pretended to read his text, but he was listening to the conversation, trying not to miss a single word. To his dismay Makepeace ushered his subordinate out of the room, muttering, "Not here."

He hopped from the swivel chair and scurried out into the corridor, but Makepeace and the soldier were already gone. However, there was no guard in sight. This was Daniel's cue to explore the base. He knew someone would find him eventually and take him back into his assigned office, but he was taking his chances.

He tried several of the gray doors until he found one that had a window to look through. Daniel had to stand on his toe tips to see anything, and even then his eyes barely reached the window. What he saw appeared to be some kind of laboratory. Three men in white coats were gathered around an operating table a fourth person was tied to. Daniel could only see feet and legs covered by a green blanket.

What were they doing to that man? From the size of the figure on the bed Daniel figured it must be a guy. He craned his neck to get a better view and caught sight of something being removed from the man's body and placed into a small tank.

A symbiote!

Daniel held his breath. He remembered Makepeace talking about bringing in new symbiotes for experiments. Were they implanting Goa'uld into humans? And what for? Unsettling thoughts about Nirrti's perfect host crossed his mind. Were they trying to create a super host they could control somehow?

Footsteps on the corridor had Daniel jumping away from the door. He forced himself to stay calm and head forward as if he had business to be outside his office.

To his relief it was Cassie. She was accompanied by the guard who was posted in front of their cell. "He said he'd show me the commissary," Cassie said. "We were on our way to pick you up."

"You shouldn't leave your office," the guard said, frowning at Daniel.

"There's a commissary here?" So far they had been given their meals in the cell, mostly sandwiches.

Cassie shrugged. "He said so."

"Come," the guard ordered. "This way."

Daniel hoped they would be left alone to eat. He had to tell Cassie about the man in the laboratory and the symbiote. And about Imhotep's glyphs.

The commissary turned out to be a small room with several tables and chairs. There was a kitchenette with a microwave and shelves full of MRE boxes, canned soup and other food.

To his amazement the guard left them alone after explaining the microwave to them. He took up a post outside the open door. It wasn't much privacy, but better than none.

They had tomato soup and bread and chose a table as far away from the door as possible. Daniel bent deeply over his bowl and hastily told Cassie what he'd seen.

Cassie's eyes grew big. "They're experimenting on someone? With symbiotes? That's just gross."

"I know! Maybe they're trying to create a host they could use as a spy. Or they're working on a symbiote poison. Something that kills Goa'uld."

Cassie looked squicked. "They said... on Hanka... nothing of the host survives. They didn't talk about it much to us kids, but when they were talking about the turning, they said the person that was turned won't exist anymore, that only the demon within was alive. Yet, Uncle Daniel was always searching for his wife. He said there was a way to ... to... ."

"To kill the Goa'uld without killing the host," Daniel said quietly. "There is. The Tollans know how to extract the Goa'uld from humans. But I don't know how exactly they do it."

Cassie frowned. "Who're the Tollans?"

"Oh, allies of Earth."

"Cool." She put her spoon down and gazed at him. "Did you have a wife, too?"

"Um, yeah." He didn't want to think about Sha're. It brought too many sad memories and shattered hopes.

"Okay." But she continued staring at him. "What's it like?"

"What?"

"You know... to be all grown up. And then to get zapped into a kid."

He stirred his soup and thought about her question for a moment. Finally he shrugged. "Weird. I miss stuff. Like driving. And, uh, living on my own. And staying up all night and going out on my own."

"Yeah, that's a real bummer!" She looked thoughtful. "You know how to drive though? Do you also know how to fly a starship?"

"Uh, I'm not a pilot, but I did fly a scout ship once or twice."

"We could try to escape," Cassie whispered. "They do have a ship. And then maybe we could find those Tollans and they can help us to get home."

"It'll be guarded like the gate. If it's even here. The ship ringed us down to another planet, remember?" Daniel mumbled back.

"Yes, but maybe it comes here sometimes. We have to find out."

They were interrupted by the guard who told them to hurry. He escorted Daniel back to his office and Cassie to their cell. Daniel felt bad for her. She must be bored having to stay there all day without anything to do. At least they had brought her some more clothes and boots this morning.

While he gazed at the glyphs on his screen, he thought about what Cassie had said. The ship might bring supplies and larger pieces of technology which couldn't be transported through the gate. So it was possible it came here on a regular basis.

What they really needed was a floor plan of this facility to figure out if there was a hanger bay somewhere. Or at least other exits than through the gate.

Looking back over his shoulder to make sure he was alone in his small new office, Daniel closed the glyph windows and tried to find a way into the computer system. But apparently his computer wasn't connected with the others. He couldn't open anything but a text program and what was on the stick.

Of course they wouldn't allow him access to just anything. But it had been worth a try. If he could manage to get his hands on another computer...

He and Cassie were taken to the commissary room again for dinner. Over sandwiches and cookies they talked about their day. Cassie had been given a portable DVD player and DVDs to watch. Other than that she hadn't done anything. In a hushed voice Daniel told her how he wanted to find an empty office to use a computer, so he could look for floor plans or other information about the base.

"There's a way," Cassie whispered. "The ventilation system. Someone came into our cell today and opened the shaft. Apparently something was wrong with the air conditioning."

Daniel stared at her. She was a genius. He'd never thought of that. But then Cassie said, "But we'd need a tool to open the grills. They're screwed into the walls. At least the one in our cell is."

"And there are security cameras everywhere." Daniel sighed. But still... it was their first real chance of finding a way out of here. They just had to figure out how.

Daniel woke up in the middle of the night. Or what was called night here. The lights in the corridors were dimmed and it was quiet, except of the low humming of the air conditioning. He slipped out from under his USAF blanket and out of his bunk. He had to use the small bathroom.

As he was standing at the toilet to relieve himself, he gazed at the ceiling, his mind still foggy from sleep. He hadn't had nightmares for a change, which was nice. Maybe it meant he had accepted being here and working for Makepeace. After all it was just another place he didn't want to be, with more people who didn't really care about him. Ever since he'd left home, he hadn't belonged anywhere anyway.

He wondered if Jack was worried about him, if he maybe even missed him. Daniel remembered how they'd been stargazing the night before Jack had to go to Nevada. And the Market Place Jack had taken him to. That had been a good day. Even with the painful memories of his parents when they'd found that book.

Suddenly Daniel's eyes grew big as he realized what he was staring at. Right underneath the ceiling was a ventilation grill. He flushed the toilet and washed his hands, but his eyes were searching for the security camera.

There was none.

He stood frozen in the bathroom for a moment.

No camera. But a ventilation shaft.

Daniel almost whooped loudly as he climbed the toilet and reached for the grill. His fingertips couldn't reach the frame, it was too far up. But if Cassie helped...

He snuck back into the bedroom and shook her lightly. She bolted upright and stared at him, her eyes wild and wide in the dim lights. "What? What's going on?"

"Shhh!" He put a finger to his lips to shush her. "It's me."

"What?" she whispered again.

Daniel shook his head and they sat in silence for a couple of minutes until he was sure their guard wasn't paying attention. All was quiet and the space on the other side of the force field was empty. Maybe the guy was getting himself some coffee.

Daniel waved at Cassie to follow him to the bathroom and closed the door behind her. "There's no camera in here," he told her. "But a ventilation shaft. There." He pointed at the grill in the wall above the toilet. "If you climb on my back, you might be able to figure out what kind of screws they use, or if there's a way to loosen them."

Cassie nodded and Daniel knelt on the toilet, which was easier said than done since there wasn't a lid. He had to balance himself on his knees and hold on to the sink with his hands as Cassie climbed up on his back. Her knees were painfully poking into Daniel's kidneys, but he didn't complain.

"There are four screws. Thick ones. I can't move them with my hands, they're stuck. We need a screw driver or something," Cassie reported.

"Can you see anything through the grill?"

"No, it's just dark. I'm coming down now."

How she managed to reach the floor without hurting herself in the narrow space between toilet and sink was beyond Daniel, but she did.

"HEY!" The loud voice was coming from the other room. "Where are you brats?!"

"The guard," Cassie groaned.

"Come on," Daniel whispered, squeezing her arm gently. "It's okay."

They went back into their cell. The guard was just deactivating the force field and for a split second Daniel almost forgot that he was a kid. This would be the opportunity to tackle that man, grab his weapon and get out of here...

In another life.

As things were, he said the first thing that came to mind. "We had to use the bathroom."

"Together?" The man reactivated the force field and went into the bathroom to look for any signs of … whatever. He returned empty handed of course. "What did you do in there?"

"Cassie saw a spider. She, uh, she screamed," Daniel spluttered. He didn't even know if there were spiders on this planet, or if they'd find a way down here.

The guard snorted, shook his head and left the cell. With a low frizzle the force field switched on again.

When Daniel turned to Cassie, she had already laid down again and pulled her blanket over her head.

"Cass? Are you okay?"

Her head popped out from under the blanket as she gave him a deadly glare. "Next time you get to see the spider and scream! That's the most idiotic thing I heard in my life! I'm no sissy!" With that she pulled the blanket back over her head and turned her back on Daniel, who stood there open mouthed.

"Oh, uh, okay," he muttered after a moment. "I'm sorry? It was the first thing that came to mind. Next time you can think of the subterfuge."

She didn't answer and Daniel thought Sam probably was a bad influence on Cassie. All that girl power and military brat bravado stuff. He remembered his Sam when she'd had to wear that beautiful blue dress at the tribe of the Shavadai. She'd looked so pretty in it. Like a princess. But when they had told her, she'd gotten mad. Okay, they'd been teasing her a little at the time. And Jack had dared to poke fun at her after the mission, about being a hero figure for the women of Simarka for leading a revolution. It had taken them a lot of groveling and making up before she spoke to them again outside of work.

Oh, he missed his Sam. Would she ever forgive him for leaving without a trace? And Teal'c? Were they okay? Were they still looking for him or had they given up? If only the quantum mirror would have worked.

Daniel wrapped his arms around his body to warm himself from the cold coming from the inside.

They were taken to the commissary for breakfast the next morning. Cassie was subdued, but didn't seem mad anymore. She had chosen oatmeal with milk and Daniel thought it was a good idea, so he had the same. But as he looked at the disgusting clumpy mass on his spoon, he put it back into his bowl. He couldn't eat that.

He went into the pantry and looked for sandwiches. But he'd had sandwiches of all kinds for the last couple of days. He longed for Jack's pancakes. With a sigh he began pulling open drawers in the kitchenette, not sure what he was looking for. All he found was flatware. Forks, spoons, knives... Daniel paused in what he was doing and cast a quick glance to the open door. Their guard was waiting outside as usual. Carefully Daniel turned back to the open drawer, grabbed one of the table-knives and shoved it handle first into the pocket of his jeans. It wasn't a sharp knife, but he couldn't sit down without the blade poking into his belly.

"I'm not hungry," he announced. "I better get to work."

Cassie shoved her bowl away. "Okay." She stood and gave him a tentative smile.

Daniel whispered, "I got something."

"What?"

But their guard waved them to follow and there was no opportunity to talk privately. They always took the same route after meals. They dropped Cassie off in their cell, then the guard escorted Daniel to his office.

Daniel said he had to use the bathroom when they stopped at the cell. The guard glared at him as if that was a horrible crime. "Hurry," he snapped and waved him into the room after Cassie.

He ran into the bathroom and pulled the knife from his jeans. After a moment of thought he knelt and shoved it into a small slit between the sink and the wall, flushed the toilet and washed his hands. He wanted to tell Cass about the knife, but the guard was impatient and barked at him to get a move on.

"Colonel Makepeace wants to see you," he informed Daniel as they walked down the corridor.

Makepeace was in his office, but he wasn't alone. Kershaw was with him, her mouth a thin angry line. She gave Daniel a cold look, but didn't say a word.

Daniel didn't say anything either. He just stared at Makepeace.

"Didn't they teach you manners where you come from? You enter my office, you say; 'You wanted to see me, sir?'" Makepeace snapped.

"What do you want?" Daniel asked quietly.

"You'll work on the mother ship blueprints with Lt. Kershaw," he ordered.

"Isn't she going back to the SGC?" Daniel had to ask. He held his breath as he waited for the answer.

Makepeace and Kershaw exchanged gloomy looks. "No. She's staying here now. Not that it's any of your business."

"They figured you out," Daniel pushed. He needed to wheedle more information out of them. What had happened? Had Jack and Sam found out who took them? Were they aware of the cloaking devices?

"There's something I'd like to know," Makepeace said sourly. Daniel noticed tiny droplets of sweat at the colonel's receding hairline. "Why would Hammond suspect Kershaw and Grieves had anything to do with your kidnapping? They've been working undercover for a long time and no one ever had a clue."

"I don't know. I'm not there," Daniel said, giving the man a blank look. Maybe he could use the two officers' distress to his advantage. "But they'll find us. You won't stand a chance. Jack will nail you. All of you."

"What makes you say that, you little snot?" Kershaw bristled with suppressed anger. "You think they'll come for you? Forget it. They don't give a damn about you. O'Neill and Hammond were going to send you to a boarding school. Grieves overheard them talking about it. So don't get your hopes up." She laughed scathingly. "They're glad they got rid of you without having to go through all that hassle now."

"I'm not stupid," Daniel replied coldly. "They might not care about me. But they care about Cassie. And most importantly the Stargate program and their allies. The Air Force won't just sit back and watch it being taken over by some rogue gang of soldiers and scientists."

Kershaw snorted. "They have to find us first. And they won't."

"But they've already damaged you. You can't go back. And unless you have more SG teams working for you, you can only return wearing the cloaking devices."

"That's no problem, they work just fine," Kershaw said with a shrug.

"That's enough!" Makepeace hollered. "Take him to his office and supervise his progress."

Daniel wasn't allowed to have lunch. Kershaw made him work through the day and kept complaining about his slow progress. She accused him of stalling, but in this case she was wrong. The descriptions that went with the pictographs were complicated and he had trouble making out the words. It was all very technology based and so he was dependent on Kershaw's help to make sense of all the terms and definitions and put them into the right context. Kershaw was working on copying the blue prints to her own computer so she could fill in Daniel's translations.

At least the work kept his mind busy for a while. But as the day went on and the glyphs began to dance before his tired eyes, his thoughts snuck up on him again.

He had filed away all the bits and pieces of information he could gather from his short visit in Makepeace's office. Apparently they had connected Kershaw and Grieves with their kidnapping. So they were headed in the right direction at least.

And they were going to send him to a boarding school.

Daniel didn't want to know that. He'd assumed something had been decided about his future before Jack went to Nevada. But to hear it from Kershaw hurt more than he'd admit even to himself.

Whatever happened, he wouldn't go there. One way or another he would leave this base and escape. He'd make sure Cassie got home. But he wouldn't go back to Earth. If they were coming to rescue them, Daniel would talk to Jack and convince him to send him to Abydos. Jack had left him there once before. And this Jack had left his Daniel on Abydos, too. If he played it right, Jack would understand Daniel's need to be with people who'd take him in and accept him as part of their family. This Jack didn't care where Daniel went. He just wanted to get rid of him. And the people of Abydos would never turn their backs on a helpless child. He could work hard and he didn't need much. Even if they didn't know who he was, they'd help him and make him one of their own.

It was good to make a decision. Now he had a goal, a destination. But the numbness inside hadn't gone away. In those last few days before Jack had gone to Nevada, Daniel had almost felt at home. Jack had taken him to the Marketplace and had talked about letting him work at the SGC. He had promised Daniel they'd find a solution.

Apparently the boarding school was what they had come up with. But why had Jack offered to let him work at the SGC if he was going to send him away now? Maybe Hammond had balked at that. Or had Jack just made promises to keep Daniel calm so he didn't have to deal with a whiny kid?

He caught himself wishing Jack wouldn't want him to go. That the order to send him to a boarding school had been given from Washington. That Jack was going to fight to keep him.

Yeah, right. Even if Jack had gotten used to Daniel living with him, he was far from embracing the idea of keeping him. That had never been on the table in the first place.

It didn't matter now. They had made the decision and Daniel had made his own choices.

Finally, Kershaw let him go. Daniel hadn't been this hungry in a long time. He was alone in the commissary. The guard told him Cassie'd had dinner earlier. He wolfed down a complete MRE including dessert and his stomach was revolting by the time he was back in their cell.

His head was pounding from staring at the computer screen for so many hours as he slumped on his bunk. Cassie, who had been alone all day, wanted to chat, but Daniel was too tired to indulge her.

Until he remembered the knife!

The excitement chased his exhaustion away. In a hushed voice he told her where he'd hidden it and Cassie immediately went to check it out. When she returned there were two red spots on her pale cheeks. "That's so cool," she whispered. "We can try to loosen the screws with it!"

"That's the idea. But we have to wait till light's out and the guard is gone to get his coffee," Daniel replied.

It was a long wait. They went to bed and pretended to be asleep when the corridor lights were dimmed. But Daniel peered out from under his blanket. The guard was pacing in front of the force field, apparently bored to death. He kept looking at his watch and from time to time he glanced over at Daniel and Cassie. Usually he would go for his coffee and stay away for half an hour, probably drinking it at the commissary in the company of other soldiers.

What if the guy didn't go for coffee tonight? What if he came back before they tried to use the knife? What if...

Daniel almost bolted upright when the man finally stalked off and vanished around the next corner. He waited another heartbeat to make sure they were alone, then he threw back his blanket and hopped from his bunk. Cassie was right behind him as he entered their tiny bathroom.

He took the knife and climbed on her back. The knife fit into the screw's slit and Daniel began to turn it from side to side, trying to make as little sound as possible. Finally, the screws began to loosen and he was able to move them, but only very slowly. The blade kept slipping out of the slit several times, but little by little the first screw came out of its hole. If it would only loosen enough to pull it out completely!

After a while they changed position and Cassie worked with the knife.

"One is almost out now. Just have to watch the blade or it'll break," Cassie whispered some time later.

"We need to stop," Daniel ground out. His knees were pressed into the metal of the small toilet seat and he couldn't hold her weight any longer. And they were running out of time. "The guard might be back any minute."

They hid the knife behind the sink again and slipped back into the room. They had just crawled back under their blankets when the guard returned from his break.

"We need to figure out a way to explore the base without being caught," Daniel said over breakfast. "We can only go when the guard is getting coffee. And we can't both go. One of us has to stay behind and somehow let the other one know when the guard is back."

"That's too complicated," Cassie objected between two bites of her peanut butter sandwich. "We'll stuff our clothes under the blankets so it looks like we're asleep. They never come in to check on us as long as they think we're asleep. And why would they? There's a force field."

"Yeah. They shouldn't need guards at all. But apparently they think we might beam out of there or something."

"Wouldn't that be cool?" Cassie grimaced. "Why haven't they come for us, Daniel?"

"Could be lots of reasons. They might think we're still on Earth somewhere. They don't know Makepeace has a ship. But even if they figured out we're off world... they'd first have to figure out where to look for us."

"Do you think they'll come at all?" She looked frightened now. Daniel realized it might have never occurred to her before they might not be found.

He bit his lip and tried to find reassuring words. "They'll try. They'll never stop looking for us, Cassie. Sam and your mom. And... Jack. They'll do everything they can to find us. It might just take a long time until they do."

A very long time.

**6**

Jack O'Neill jammed the knuckles of his right hand into his eye socket and tried to follow the endless flow of words coming out of Carter's mouth. Why was it that she needed … a quick glance to his watch confirmed it... forty five minutes to explain what he could have said in five?

The scanner finally worked, but not in the way it was originally built for. It wouldn't help to trace the kidnappers, but it was still good for something after all. Felger and his group of engineering geeks were remodeling more TERs into toasters to install them in every pertinent room at the SGC. Carter had figured out a way to make the toasters scan non-stop so that any out-of-phase person was immediately visible without having to fire. If someone wearing the cloaking device entered a room with a scanner, he was zapped back into phase. There were already scanners in the gate room, the control room, the briefing room and the general's office.

Jack had lifted the lock-down once the scanners were installed and Jacob had come through with more TERs to turn into toaster scanners. He was at the table now, hanging on his daughter's words, nodding his head here and there. Was he actually paying attention, or was he just good at faking interest?

Jack knew the things were working. That was all he needed to know.

It meant squat in their progress to find the kids.

Their only hope was to catch someone trying to sneak back onto base, so they could interrogate them.

Jack had more pressing questions on his mind.

How the hell had those bastards gotten their hands on a ship? And what kind of ship did they have? Carter and Jacob were assuming a Tel'tak since it would be easiest to steal. Jack agreed. Tel'taks were unarmed and mostly used as scoutships by the Goa'uld, the Tok'ra, and Jaffa outside of battles. They could get one of those on almost any world with a Jaffa population. Tel'taks had rings, escape pods and invisible cloaking. Which could be why no one had detected them hovering over Fraiser's neighborhood.

The thought that Makepeace's group had become independent enough to have Tel'taks was creepy.

"Carter," Jack said tiredly. "Are we done yet?" He knew he was being unfair. She had worked her tail off to get the scanners to work. He didn't like the gray circles underneath her eyes and her porcelain white skin.

She stopped short and blinked. "Yes, sir. I think we are."

"Thank you," he said sincerely and cleared his throat. "Jacob, how many ships do you have out there currently?"

"Every ship we have available is out there looking for the kids. We're scanning as many planets as possible. If Makepeace has a base out there, we'll find it," Jacob said.

"We assume they're on a moon or some other uninhabited world. But it's still like looking for the needle in the haystack," Carter said. "They have hyperdrive, which means they could have gone anywhere. It's hard to pin point their location."

"So we wait. Again." Fraiser said flatly.

"Well, we do have a couple of leads," Carter pointed out. "Daniel said in his universe they built a base on another world, underground. It makes sense so they probably did the same here. There was a gate on that world in Daniel's universe. So our best shot is to look for a planet or moon with an underground gate. Assuming the conditions from Daniel's universe are valid here, too."

"I hate to be Mister Negative here, Major. But what if they aren't?" Kawalsky held up his hands in defeat when everyone glared at him. "I'm just saying. It isn't necessarily the same as in Daniel's universe."

Jack turned to Jacob. "Keep your eyes open."

"We will."

"This is useless," Janet said from her end of the briefing table. "Someone has to get their hands on Maybourne and get the information we need out of him."

"Our orders are to," Jack made air quotation signs, "'investigate discreetly' until Hammond has returned from DC with new orders. We can't just barge in at Area 51 and rip Maybourne a new one. Believe me, if it was that simple you'd have to stand in line and wait until I'm done with him."

"It's easy enough," Fraiser said, a nasty little smile curling her lips. "All I need is a syringe and half an hour alone with him."

Everyone stared at her in astonishment. Then their heads turned towards Jack as one. He raised his eyebrows. It was a tempting thought. God knew what Frasier could cook up in her lab. But he had strict orders from Hammond to stand down until the general was back. "I'll take it into consideration," he said and raised a finger when both Fraiser and Carter opened their mouths. "Aht! Not yet. We have our orders."

"Since when do you care about following orders when it really counts, Jack?" Feretti and Kawalsky exchanged a knowing look.

Jack wanted to get his hands on Maybourne, too, and beat the truth out of him. But Hammond had been right. They had to leave him alone for now.

Still, the thought was more than a little tempting.

Jack stood. "You all know why Hammond was ordered to DC," he said quietly. "If we rush things now and kidnap a high ranking colonel, inject him truth serum, and it turns out to be a dead end, it'll make things worse for all of us. Kinsey is just waiting for something like that to happen."

Kawalsky grimaced. Feretti scowled. "I believe the kid. Maybourne is a rat." He blinked at Jack. "Sir."

"I believe what he told us is exactly what happened in his universe. But on the off chance we're wrong, we could all get arrested for treason and torturing Maybourne. Who do you think is going to look for the kids then?" When no one had anything to add, Jack threw his pen on the table. "You're dismissed. Get some shut eye. That's an order."

Lou and Charlie left first. Carter collected her papers and Fraiser sat stiffly at the table.

"I want you to get at least four hours of sleep, Carter," Jack addressed his former 2IC. "You've been working on those TER scanners for over 24 hours."

"Sir...," she protested.

"The colonel is right, Sam. You need to sleep," Fraiser said softly.

"You're of no use if you have a breakdown," Jack added. "Go."

"Just one more thing," she said. "What if Makepeace contacts me?"

Jack shot a glance at Jacob who was standing between the two women.

"I told him," Sam said.

"And why would you do that, Carter?" Jack asked dangerously.

"Because I can provide her with a communication device small enough to carry," Jacob said. Neither his voice nor his face gave away how he felt about his daughter's brilliant plan.

Jack knew how he felt about it though. "You will not... and I repeat... NOT let Makepeace take you out of here."

"Sir..." she started, but he cut her off.

"Unless they order you to do it, you'll stay right here. Is that understood?"

She looked pinched. "What am I supposed to tell him? That I changed my mind?"

Jack felt a headache the size of Chulak coming his way. "Carter, he knows we're looking for the kids. Do you really think he'll risk contacting you now? He's probably long gone to his hidden base and won't be back anytime soon."

"Maybe. But I think they need me. So in case he shows up, what am I supposed to do?" She crossed her arms stubbornly over her chest. "My best option is to go with him and contact you when I'm there."

"Our best option would be to arrest Makepeace if he made contact with you." Jack said. With a frustrated huff, he waved her off. "I expect to hear from Washington anytime. Until then - get some sleep."

She exchanged a look with her father and quietly left the briefing room. Jack gazed at her retreating back, then turned to Fraiser. "Make sure she's really gone to bed."

"Yes, sir. You should get sleep, too. Doctor's orders." She headed out, catching up to Carter.

Jacob lowered his head in an all too familiar way and when he looked up again, his features were slightly different, a subtle air of something resembling arrogance surrounding him. Selmak cleared his throat. "I do understand your worries about Major Carter. Jacob had objections as well. But I was able to convince him her plan has value. We believe the best and most effective way to destroy this organization is from the inside. If they have ships to operate with, they have already grown too big. We can't allow this group to gain more power."

"We can't allow them to snatch one of our top physicists either," Jack said with controlled anger. "Makepeace knows we're on their heels now. Has it occurred to you he might not believe her little ploy anymore and take her prisoner just like he took the kids?"

"It has occurred to us."

"And? So?"

"The modified communication device we enabled her with will allow her to contact the Tok'ra. Once she does so, we will be able to locate her and get her and the children out of there quickly."

"Ah, now that makes all the difference in the world," Jack said, sarcasm dripping from his voice. "If she'll be able to contact the Tok'ra, what are we waiting for?"

Selmak bowed his head and they were back to Jacob. "Jack, Selmak is right. Sam is our best chance to find the kids."

"Yeah, well, I'm not going to send her in there until they tell me I have to. This discussion is over." Jack couldn't breathe properly. He needed fresh air. He left Jacob where he stood and called Walter from Hammond's office to inform him he was going to the surface for a walk.

The forest was still and relatively cool. The trees, curtains of green, were a natural shield from the sun. Jack hiked a well defined trail up hill as he tried to clear his mind.

For twenty minutes he didn't slow his pace. He enjoyed the stretching of muscles as he ascended the densely wooded hill. Finally the path took a sharp left turn and reached the peak. There was an opening through the trees, allowing a view down into the valley with its green carpet of bushes and more trees.

Jack sat down on the short grass, his back against a rock, and wiped sweat from his brow. It was quiet except for the lazy twittering of some birds.

The sunrays played catch with the shadows of the trees. Light and shadows and the everlasting green of leaves. Green, black and golden. Jack blinked and blinked as he fought the exhaustion eating away at him. The gold was dancing with the green now. Jack leaned his head back against the hard rock.

It would be so easy. Grab Maybourne, inject him with some truth serum, make him sing and everything else would be a piece of cake. Except it wasn't all that simple in reality.

_Truth serum._

The words triggered something in the back of his mind. Unpleasant, unwanted memories better left buried.

If someone gave him a truth serum now, what would he tell them? He'd been there, done that and got the T-shirt. But would he still be able to blindside them with senseless ramblings and false information as he'd managed in Iraq? Or would he tell them he had loved his best friend and had never had the courage to do anything about it, because of FRAT rules and DADT? Would he tell them how Daniel's death had done to him what no rape, no drugs and no torture in Iraq had been able to accomplish?

That it had broken him, that it still hurt in places he hadn't known existed inside him. That he knew now how it felt to get your heart ripped out without dying? That he had gone mental and was still hearing voices in his head from time to time...

_Jack!_

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Go'way," he muttered. He had to close his eyes. The dancing colors made him queasy.

_Don't let them win. You have to find the kids._

"You telling me where they are? That'd be helpful, yaknow?"

_No. I can't see them. You're anchoring me._

"I... what?" Jack didn't bother to open his eyes.

_Never mind. You need to make a decision. _

"And do what? Let Fraiser drug Maybourne to his eyeballs? It won't work. Why am I talking to you anyway. You're just an illusion."

_What's your point?_

"Right."

_Who do you think will take over if Hammond is bullied into retirement again? What if it's another General Bauer? Someone who's on the same page with Kinsey. Do you really think you'll get a chance to go through the gate and find Daniel and Cassie? Hammond might let you go even though you're grounded. But once Hammond's gone, they'll shut the program down and bury the gate. Or they'll let Maybourne's gang take over... have you considered that? That Kinsey might have his hands in all this? And you being grounded from gate travel is the perfect opportunity to kick you out, too. _

"I know that. I don't need you to spell it out for me, Daniel." Jack's limbs felt heavy, but it wasn't a bad kind of heaviness. He let his arms fall to his sides and blinked into the golden greenish sunlight, then his eyes dropped close again. Damn he was so tired. "Just leave my head, will ya?"

_Um, that's easier said then done. You don't want me to leave._

_Great_, Jack thought. _It's getting worse._

_No, you're just easier to talk to when you're near unconsciousness from exhaustion._

_Really? _Jack tried to find his way back to sanity, but Daniel wouldn't shut up. In fact he sounded fierce suddenly.

_Let Sam go, Jack. You might not have the time to wait for orders from the president. If Makepeace contacts her, let her go. _

"Sure. And lose another member of my team." He groaned. "Great. I'm losing what's left of my mind." He had to call MacKenzie and soon. This wasn't normal. It was freaky. But if it was, why wasn't he actually freaking? Not about Daniel's voice anyway.

The other thing did make him freak. He'd lost Daniel and Teal'c. And now he was supposed to let Carter go on her own little covert op? Hammond had said Washington would probably want her to do just that, but it wouldn't be him ordering her to do it then.

_Is that it? You think you'll feel less guilty if something happened to her and it wasn't you who let her go? Is that going to make it easier?_

Well, if he put it like that it sounded a bit...

_This isn't you, Jack,_ Daniel whispered somewhere in his mind. Sounding so real. So him. _Stop being paralyzed by your own fears. You know it's the right thing to do, because there's nothing else to do. If there was a chance in hell Makepeace would trust you, you'd go undercover in the blink of an eye. _

"Whoa," Jack said. "That was quite a speech for a dead man."

_Sam's not that badly injured. She can handle this. Trust her. You used to trust all of us._

"I do trust her," Jack said tiredly. It was himself he didn't trust anymore. To make the right calls. Never in all the years he'd worked for the military had he been at a point where he'd lost faith in his own capabilities. Not in Germany, not in Iraq, not while working for the Stargate program. He had doubts, yes, second guessed decisions from time to time. But when all was said and done he'd accepted victories and failures, because that's what he was trained for. He'd made decisions by thinking on his feet and trusting his people and his own instincts and experiences.

He had never been scared of MAKING a decision before. He did what he felt was best to do at the time. And if it came back and bit him in the ass, he sucked it up and lived with it.

Until Daniel had died.

Until he'd lost Teal'c because of his own stupidity.

If he'd let Carter go... "You aren't real," Jack said flatly to the still green forest surrounding him. "I'm not listening to you." He opened his eyes and heaved himself up from the warm grass.

He SO needed to get some sleep.

But he had tried to sleep before and couldn't. Instead he had laid awake in his base quarters while Carter and Felger had worked through the night to make the TER scanner function. He had stared at the ceiling as he'd brooded and worried about the kids. About how to find them. About what to do with Daniel once they'd found them. About how to make a life with Daniel work. About being something like a dad again to this boy while his own son had to grow up without his father for the most part. How twisted all this was.

_Jack_

Daniel's voice like wind in the trees. Only there was no wind.

Jack started moving down the hill, hands balled to fists at his side, jaw set in an angry line.

_Jack, something's happening_

_I'm not listening to you. I don't wanna hear it. SHUT THE FUCK UP!_

Then he heard the ship. He looked up, but couldn't see it. The horrible familiar sound of rings materializing somewhere in the forest put Jack into motion.

He was too late.

Again.

Carter was gone.

"They left through the access tube," reported Kawalsky when they all had gathered in the briefing room again. "Both guards posted there were out cold."

There was no point in starting a search since he knew they were long gone. Makepeace had entered through the tube, blindsiding the guards before anyone had been alerted. Then he must have found Carter in her lab. According to Fraiser she hadn't gone to bed as ordered. Jack figured they'd left the same way the rat had come in.

Jack addressed Felger, who was standing at the table, nervously playing with a file folder. "I want those scanners installed in every quarter, every hallway and every office. ASAP. And I want more portable scanners for the SFs."

"We don't have enough built yet... ."

"Then build more!"

"Ye... Yes, sir," the scientist spluttered, wedged his folder under one arm, and hurried out.

Jack turned to Jacob. "Tell me she already had this communication device you were talking about?!"

"She did. I gave it to her when she talked to us about her plans," Selmak replied.

"How considerate of you. And you happened to just have it with you when you came to bring us more TERs?"

Relief mingled with anger over how determined she had been to do her own thing instead of following orders. Suddenly Jack knew how Hammond must have felt _every time_ he and his team disobeyed orders, or gotten themselves in trouble for the greater good. How he must have felt when Jack had gone to revenge Daniel's death... when he'd finally gone too far.

Jack only hoped Carter wouldn't screw up her own life with this little adventure of hers.

"I gave her mine. The Tok'ra developed this device so everyone leaving the outposts or the homeworld can be contacted and vise versa." Jacob again.

"Ah." He raised an eyebrow. "And you're okay with this, Jacob? Just like that?"

"Jack, do you think I want my kid out there stepping into a hornet's nest?" Jacob's brown eyes were darker than usual. He looked old. "Like it or not, at the moment it's our best chance to find and destroy this rogue group. God knows how much technology they've already taken from other planets. Some of that stuff in the wrong hands..."

"I KNOW what's at stake. And there are two kids out there, depending on us to find them. But Carter's injured, Jacob. I know she's tough, hell, I've seen her taking and giving punches better than some marines. But she's not 100 percent right now."

"They need her. They'll make sure she's all right. She knew what she was getting into, she will get through it," Jacob said, but a flicker in his eyes betrayed him.

"Is that you or Selmak talking?" Jack asked acidly. "I know how the Tok'ra think about casualties. No big deal, eh?"

"Time is running out. George might be relieved of command as we speak," Jacob said urgently. "We don't know how far up this goes. The sooner we take action, the better. Makepeace showing up to take her now was the best thing that could have happened under the circumstances."

An echo of Daniel's voice floated through Jack's mind.

_Who do you think will take over if Hammond is bullied into retirement again? What if it's another General Bauer? ... Do you really think you'll get a chance to go through the gate and find Daniel and Cassie? _

"The moment she contacts you, I want to know," Jack said, giving the man in front of him a hard glare.

"Agreed."

"When you located her, I'll take my people through the gate."

Jacob nodded. Jack straightened and made a decision. "If she doesn't contact us in the next 24 hours we'll move on to Plan B."

"What's Plan B?" Jacob asked with a frown.

"It's what happens when Plan A doesn't work." He turned to Kawalsky, Feretti and Fraiser. "We're on stand by until Major Carter contacts the Tok'ra. My order still stands. Get some rest. You're dismissed."

Nobody objected this time as they shuffled out. Jack caught up to Fraiser in the corridor. "Janet?"

She turned slowly.

"How much time do you need to mix together a happy cocktail for Maybourne. Theoretically."

"Give me a couple of hours. I'm pretty sure I have most of the substances."

"You know you're a scary woman, don'tcha?"

She gave him the shadow of a smile. "Better not forget that, Colonel. But honestly... the so called Truth Serum is nothing more than a sedative mixed with various other drugs. "

"Yeah, I know. I also know it's not reliable. It's possible to fight the serum and keep control. The subject just gets very chatty. Can you work around that?"

He had told his friendly hosts in Iraq how to dance a jig and sang Irish folk songs, but he never gave away anything crucial. They had beaten him up for his awful singing and they hadn't appreciated his reciting of Shakespeare's MacBeth. He had talked a lot under the influence of the Truth Serum. But he'd never said anything.

"Not necessarily, no. But he'll be very open to suggestions and if we convince him we're on his side he'll spill. I'm sure of it."

"Doc, Maybourne is Special Ops. He won't give up control just like that."

"It's worth a try. There's something else. The mimick devices. If we could change into someone he trusts before giving him the drug..."

"Makepeace," Jack said thoughtfully.

"For example."

They looked at each other for a long moment. "Start working on it. Just in case," Jack said.

"So that's plan B?"

"Yeah."

She placed a hand on his arm and he let her. "Jacob is right. They need her. She's not fit, but she's not that badly injured. As long as they don't torture her, she'll be okay."

"I know that," he said curtly. Carter wasn't a wimp.

They stepped into the waiting elevator and when she left on her level, she gave him a tired smile. "Good night, Jack."

Two hours later there was a knock at Jack's office door and when he called to enter, a young man dressed in blue BDU came in, closing the door quietly behind himself. Standing at attention, the officer said smartly, "Sir, I heard Major Carter has gone AWOL. I'd like to be on the rescue team."

Raising his eyebrows at the unexpected visitor, Jack waved him. "At ease, Mitchell. What do you know about Major Carter's situation?"

Standing more comfortably, Captain Mitchell frowned. "Not much, sir. But I heard about the two guards being knocked out at the access tube, and that there had been a possible Reetou incident. I guess one of them is on the run with Major Carter in tow. At least that's what the rumor mill says, sir."

Jack gave the man in front of him a hard look. There was no indication Mitchell had anything to do with Makepeace's troops, but at the moment he couldn't trust anyone but his established team. "I appreciate your concern about Major Carter, Captain, but right now there's not much we can do. I'll let you know if and when there'll be an S and R mission."

Mitchell scowled, his blue eyes not wavering under Jack's taxing glare. "Sir, may I speak freely?"

_No,_ Jack thought irritably, _I don't have the time, or the nerve for this._ But he nodded. "Go ahead."

"If there's a Reetou lose on Earth, wearing a cloaking device and it's taken Major Carter as a hostage... shouldn't we be out there hunting them down?"

"Yesss," Jack drawled. "And we will. Eventually. I'll put you on the list. You're dismissed, Captain."

"Sir," Mitchell said, not moving from the spot in front of Jack's desk. "With all due respect - I'm not buying the Reetou thing. If the Reetou were back to attack us, they wouldn't just send one or two. And there'd be a lot more shooting going on here. But it's all quiet, nothing's happened since the lock down has been lifted – until Major Carter was abducted... and why would a Reetou want to escape through the access tube with her? To do... what?"

_Oh, great. Too smart for his own good and too stupid to keep his mouth shut,_ Jack thought. He crossed his arms over the files on his desk and glared into Mitchell's eyes. "Whether you believe it or not, son. At the moment there's nothing we can do."

"I know you probably can't tell me what's really going on. But Sam and I were on the same team. She's not only a team mate, she's also my friend. And I don't like it when someone's messing with my friends. So all I ask is that if there's going to be a rescue team, put me on it," Mitchell said quietly.

Jack couldn't help but admire the man for his determination. He could see real compassion in Mitchell's eyes. "I'll keep you posted," he said curtly. "Dismissed."

"Thank you, sir." With that Mitchell left his office and Jack let out a huff. He was about to get himself some coffee when his phone rang. It was Walter, patching through a call from Nevada from Doctor Lee. Jack briefly wondered what the scientist was still doing out there.

Doctor Lee rambled on about the new discoveries they'd made on the Ra painting. "You were right, Colonel, it is booby trapped. More scans and an analysis of the material showed there's a chemical on the canvas and the paint that reacts to being cut through. Therefore we don't know yet, how to remove the canvas without destroying whatever is hidden behind it..."

"Whoa," Jack snapped, trying to get a word in. "Chemical reacting how?"

"It'll explode, sir. And it'll be a very... you know... big explosion. Like … it would blow up everyone in the building. _And_ the building."

Jack rubbed his eyes. He so didn't want to deal with this right now. "Look, why don't you report all this to... "

"Oh, we already informed Colonel Beach. He's the 2IC here. I tried to talk to Colonel Maybourne an hour ago, but he's gone. I'm just calling to let you know this might take a couple of more days until we figure out how to get through the canvas."

"Maybouren is gone? You mean he's back in Washington?" Jack felt his gut tense.

"Ah, no. Apparently nobody knows where he went. It's all a bit confusing. But I don't know any details. They won't tell us anything."

Jack ended the call as quickly as he could without just hanging up on the good doctor, then called Washington. He finally had a very agitated General Hammond on the phone, telling him that Colonel Maybourne had apparently left the building, the city, the country ... or the planet.

So much for plan B then.

**7**

Daniel slumped back on his butt and let out a huff. "You're heavy," he groaned as he helped her into the shaft, then bit his lip as he realized how far his voice might carry through the ventilation system.

Cassie, who was kneeling in front of him now, rubbed her arms and probably glared at him. But it was too dark in the shaft to really see her face. "I told you to let me go first. I'm bigger than you," she whispered.

"Are you ready?"

"Sure."

He carefully turned, trying to make as little noise as possible, and started crawling down the shaft. Even though they weren't wearing their shoes, the low thump thump of their hands and knees on the metallic shaft seemed to be too loud. And the darkness was very disconcerting. What if the shaft suddenly fell?

He still thought it would have been better if Cassie had stayed behind. One of them would make less noise and what if they had to retreat fast? It wasn't easy to move around in these narrow shafts. But Cassie would have none of that and had finally won the argument by saying they could split up and if one of them got caught while exploring, the other one could find a place to hide.

Cassie had managed to open the grill last night. When the screws had been loosened she had screwed them back in with her hand, just so they'd hold the grill in place and were easy to pull out again.

"There, I can see something," Daniel whispered. Right in front of him was a shimmer of neon light, hopefully coming from an office with a computer.

Silently they crept forward until they reached an opening. Daniel lay flat on his belly, glad Cassie had stayed back enough that he wouldn't accidentally kick her when he stretched out on the cold metal.

Through the grill he looked into an office. There was a desk, a computer, shelves with books. But it wasn't empty. Two men in lab coats were bent over the desk, staring at the computer screen. Daniel recognized Doctor Gadzia and his colleague.

Gadzia, a small man with oily black hair, gestured at something on the screen. "Fascinating creatures they are, these symbiotes," he said. "With all this research material, I could write a book about them."

"Creepy you mean," his colleague, an older man with glasses and graying hair, muttered. "They are so resistant."

"They have incredible healing abilities! They recover from most toxins and viruses I've exposed the Jaffa to. The most secure way to kill them is to slit them open or cut off their heads. But that's not what we want."

"But we knew all this before," Gadzia's colleague said impatiently. "We aren't any closer to a breakthrough with the drug."

Gadzia turned his computer off and stretched. "I'll talk to Makepeace. We need one of these symbiotes to mature so we can implant it into a host. Only upon trying to remove the symbiote from its host, will it release its poison into the host's body. It doesn't release poison when killed outside the host or while in a Jaffa's pouch. And we need that poison."

"We do have one that's close to maturing. What about the Jaffa? Do we continue to torture him? We did everything short of killing the man. We know what the symbiote is capable of, what injuries and sicknesses it is able to heal. We don't need him anymore. We can implant the symbiote into him and see what happens when we try to remove it again."

"Making a Jaffa a host. That has almost humor in it," Gadzia chuckled. "Why not?"

"Let's call it a night. We can talk to Makepeace when he's back."

"When will he return with the new physicist he promised Kershaw?" Gadzia asked as the two men dimmed the light.

"Three days tops, maybe earlier. There's something going on Earth side. I'm not sure what, but it has to do with them taking that kid. Apparently they took a big risk in kidnapping him and now the SGC is on our heels." The other doctor grimaced. "I'm not sure that boy is worth all this trouble."

"But if Makepeace thinks he's worth it, he probably is. I hope this doesn't mean we're moving again," Gadzia muttered.

Daniel let out his breath when the two doctors left the office. He hadn't even realized he'd been holding it. "Let's go back," he whispered.

"Why? They're gone now," Cassie hissed.

"Yeah... but there's a camera in the corner." Daniel hung his head. He had forgotten about that. How stupid. Always the damn cameras everywhere.

He heard Cassie move behind him. After a moment he turned and now she was leading the way. After a short while she stopped. "There's a left turn here." And without another word she moved into the other shaft.

"Cassie," Daniel murmured, but followed her anyway.

Time seemed to stretch as they made their way through the long shaft, the only sounds were their own breathing and their hands and knees softly pounding on the metal until...

BANG!

Daniel froze.

"Ow, crap. I hit my head on the grill," Cassies cried out.

Daniel shushed her frantically.

"Sorry," Cassie moaned. "I smacked right into the stupid grill, it really hurts. There's no light here."

"Shhh," Daniel demanded and they grew very still.

There was the sound of an opening door and footsteps in the room on the other side of the grill. Daniel's heart hammered loud enough for everyone on this base to hear. He bit his lip hard and held his breath again.

"Who is there?" The voice was low and deep. "Identify yourself."

Daniel's heart took a leap.

That couldn't be...

"Teal'c?" He whispered in astonishment. "Teal'c, is that you?" The Jaffa the doctors had talked about...

Cassie squealed. "Uncle Teal'c?! It's me, Cassie! What are you doing here?"

"CassandraFraiser?" Teal'c asked, disbelief lacing his voice.

"Yes," she whispered. "It's me. Can you open this grill?"

"I cannot. This is a holding cell, the grill is screwed into the wall. Who is with you?"

"Daniel. That's, uh, a long story. He's been littled."

There was a pause. Then, "DanielJackson is dead."

"Yeah," Daniel mumbled. "It's kinda complicated."

"It's not our Daniel," Cassie explained. "He's from another time line or something."

"I see. Were you taken prisoners?" If he was confused he was hiding it well. His voice was closer now and Daniel, who couldn't look past Cassie's back, assumed Teal'c was standing in front of the grill.

"Yes, we were. Well, Daniel was. They accidentally took me, too. We're trying to find a way out of here and steal their ship. Or a way to contact Uncle Jack so he can come to rescue us. We managed to take out the grill in our cell."

"How?" Teal'c asked sharply.

"With a kitchen knife."

"Can you bring me that knife?"

"We can. But you won't be able to get through the shaft," Daniel said. "They're very narrow. There has to be a main shaft somewhere which is bigger. But these shafts are made for slim and short people."

Teal'c made a grumbling sound.

"Teal'c? Is there a guard in front of your cell?" Daniel was afraid someone would catch them. They had stayed here much too long anyway. And they hadn't been overly quiet either.

"There are two. And a force field. I am in the bathroom now. I have to return soon," the Jaffa said quietly. "I have tried to escape many times, when the opportunity was there, but it is to no avail. My symbiote is weakened, it will probably die soon." Self disgust was lacing the Jaffa's voice when he continued. "I am not functioning anymore the way I used to. I need to recharge, but the drugs they are giving me are making it impossible to reach a deep state of kel'no'reem." After another pause he said, "If you find a way into an armory, look for an Asgard communication stone. Then you must try to reach our allies."

Daniel thought calling the Asgard was a far better idea than trying to escape through the ventilation system and steal the Tel'tak. At least it had a much better chance of working. However, they needed to find the stones first. "Teal'c, they're going to make you a host!" And in hastily whispered words he repeated what he had heard from Gadzia earlier. "They're going to ask Makepeace for permission."

"ColonelMakepace is not here at the moment," Teal'c said.

"I know. But those doctors, I listened to earlier, said he'll be back in three days."

"Quiet," Teal'c ordered sharply. They sat in the darkness silently for several minutes, holding their breath. Finally Teal'c whispered, "My guard is approaching. Return to your cell. We will meet again tomorrow night." With that he was gone.

They waited until they heard the bathroom door close softly. Without another word the children turned and hurried back to their own cell.

Kershaw kept Daniel working on the Imhotep files during the next day. She was impatient and irritated. Daniel wasn't working fast enough for her liking. He sensed she was nervous about other things, too. Maybe she was afraid they'd be found after all. Daniel wanted to know where Makepeace had gone and why Kershaw and Grieves couldn't return to Earth. How far had the investigation gone already? But of course Kershaw refused to give him any information. Apparently she didn't want to repeat her slip from a few days ago in Makepeace's office.

"You just concentrate on the translation. One more nosy question and I'll hurt you, understood?" she sneered at one of Daniel's attempts to start a conversation.

He had no doubt she could, and would, hurt him if she was pressured any more, so he gritted his teeth and continued working. But his mind was occupied with plans for the night.

Kershaw let him have lunch today, but Daniel didn't meet Cassie at the commissary. It was late already. And he noticed something was different. The guard left him to fend for himself instead of waiting in front of the door, or at another table. "I'll escort you back in twenty. Hurry up," he snapped and left.

Grabbing an MRE, Daniel slipped out of the kitchenette and started eating lackadaisically as he was thinking about Teal'c. Their chances were so much better now they knew he was here. And Jack... Jack would be so relieved to know his friend was alive! He couldn't wait to see his face when they returned home!

Daniel bit his lip.

Home. He wasn't going home. He hadn't been "home" in a very long time.

When the guard escorted him back to the office, he found Kershaw gone. Relieved to have peace, he started working again at his own pace until it was time for dinner.

Cassie was waiting for him. She tortured her chicken with gravy, stabbing her knife into it. "I'm so sick of this," she announced. "This stupid food, being locked up all day. I'm not even scared anymore 'cuz I'm so mad. They won't give me books. All I can do is watch stupid movies all day and stare at the walls. Oh, and today they brought me crayons and paper. As if there's anything nice here that'd inspire me to draw!"

"I'm sorry," Daniel said wearily.

She dropped her fork and knife. Staring at the tasteless disgusting mass on her plate, she bit her lip. "I miss mom," she whispered. "And everyone else. And Doggy, even though he's such a stupid dog."

"l know." He covered her hand with his for a brief moment. "You'll get home, Cassie. I promise."

"You too," she said softly.

"Home is... elsewhere for me. But I'll go with you and make sure you're with your mom again."

"What do you mean, elsewhere? I know you're not from... here. But where else can you go?"

"I'll be fine, Cass. I know where to go, trust me." He pushed his half empty bowl away when the guard returned and ordered them to follow him back to their cell.

Daniel and Cassie sat together on one of the bunk beds, pretending to watch a movie on the portable DVD player Cassie had been provided with. It was some Disney movie about an Indian who was transformed into a bear and had to live his life among other bears.

"I've been thinking." Daniel said in a low voice, "Tonight you should take Teal'c our knife so he can try to open his shaft."

"But he won't be able to use the shaft. He's too big," Cassie objected.

"I know. But we have to get him some things and the holes in the grill are too small to stick anything through it. I'll try to find the armory, or a storage room, and get radios. We need to be able to stay in contact with Teal'c. If I can, I'll bring a communication stone, too."

"What if you don't find one?" Cassie anxiously chewed her bottom lip.

"Then we'll look for it tomorrow night. I can't risk staying out there too long and being caught."

"Okay. What happens after we call the... what were they called?"

"Asgard. I think once we contact them, everything will happen pretty fast. They can beam us and Teal'c out of here."

Cassie's eyes grew big. "Coool," she drawled, impressed. Daniel had to grin despite the butterflies in his stomach.

Now, if he could only find an Asgard stone!

_It couldn't have gone better_, Daniel thought as he gave Cassie the thumb's up when they parted. Their guard had left after 'lights out' and hadn't come back. Apparently something was going on that needed every man available elsewhere and they couldn't spare a constant guard for their cell anymore. Or they figured the children weren't going anywhere and just relaxed. Daniel had no idea as nobody was telling him anything and he'd been stuck in his office all day.

He watched Cassie crawl down the shaft leading to Teal'c's cell. When she was out of sight, Daniel began inching down his own tunnel. He passed Doctor Gadzia's office and took a right turn, hoping it would lead him where he needed to be.

He passed several laboratories and offices, most of them deserted, until he finally found what he was looking for. The armory! However, his enthusiasm was short lived when he realized he couldn't open the grill from the inside. Longingly he stared into the semi darkness at staffs, P90's, berettas and several other outlines of weapons he didn't recognize. He had no idea if there were communication stones on one of the shelves, but that didn't matter now.

Frustrated, Daniel was on his way back, when he found another crossing and, out of curiosity, took a right turn. A moment later he was kneeling at another opening. A storage room. His mind was racing. If he could get into the storage room and out into the corridor, he might be able to find the armory again and enter through its door...

Bad plan. Armories were always guarded and he didn't even have a weapon.

He wondered how weak Teal'c really was – if it would help him to have a weapon to get rid of his guards? When Teal'c said he was 'weak' it probably meant he was still capable to fight if he had something to fight with...

And all of his brilliant ideas would be useless if the grill was screwed into the wall here, too.

But when he examined the square window, he huffed out a breath of relief. There were snappers on his side of the grill to open it. He had hoped only the grids in the holding cells were secured and the others could be opened from both sides for some reason Daniel didn't know – and didn't want to know. Maybe something to do with maintenance work or whatever.

Daniel opened the grill and almost let it drop. It was heavy! He cursed under his breath, holding on to the bars. Then he realized it was made to swing open and downwards. Two hinges were holding it in place. He carefully lowered it and stuck his head out into the room. He couldn't see a security camera in here.

Good.

Daniel turned around and wriggled out of the opening with his legs first. He lowered himself until only his hands were holding onto the edge of the metal shaft, took a deep breath, let go and jumped.

The fall wasn't far, but as soon as he landed on the ground he froze and listened for nearby footsteps, or any other sign someone had heard the noise. When nothing happened, he took a look around, shouting a silent "YES!"

There was all kind of equipment on the wall shelves. Goggles, night vision devices, binoculars, … radios!

Daniel grabbed three radios and a heavy flashlight. Maybe Teal'c could use that to hit someone over the head. Making a spur of the moment decision, he also took two of the binoculars with night vision. He attached the radios to his belt, stuffed the flashlight into the waistband of his pants and hung the binoculars around his neck. He searched for cloaking devices, but those were probably stored in the armory.

Daniel looked for a table or a chair, always listening for footsteps from the corridor, and finally found a small cart with fixed wheels.

With many breaks to listen to make sure he wasn't caught, Daniel managed to roll the hand cart underneath the opening in the wall. Climbing onto the cart was tricky and he almost fell down and took the shelf he was holding onto for support, with him. But somehow he made it. He was sure he'd made a lot of noise as he climbed into the shaft and heaved the grill back into place, but he didn't have _any more_ time to waste.

Hastily he crawled back, realizing too late that he'd taken the wrong turn. A bright light blinded him as he rounded another corner and Daniel almost smacked into a grill. He slumped flat on his belly, plastering himself against the metal ground. Wide eyed he stared into what appeared to be the infirmary.

Cabinets filled with medicine and syringes were lined up on one wall. But what got Daniel's attention was the golden sarcophagus sitting on a pedestal in the middle of the room.

Before he could recover from the fact these people had a sarc, voices from the corridor made him duck his head even further.

"You'll be as good as new in no time," a female voice said. "I'm sorry they had to take you like this."

"It's okay. I don't think I need the sarcophagus."

Daniel had to bite his tongue to keep himself from gasping.

"It's the colonel's orders, I'm afraid," the other voice said.

"Do you know people get addicted from using the sarcophagus too often?"

It was Sam. Hope and gratefulness surged through Daniel. They had let her go undercover! Now they would get out of here for sure!

"Ah, but we keep track of how often our people use it. Usually it's only used for severe injuries. But the colonel says to repair your arm and shoulder, so you're fit for full duty. He expects you to go off world with his team soon. Please follow me."

Sam entered the room, accompanied by a middle aged dark haired woman in a white lab coat. The doctor opened the sarcophagus and turned to Sam. "Please, Major. It will only take a minute to mend this arm."

Sam looked as if she wanted to zat the doctor, but after a fraction of hesitation she nodded and stepped onto the pedestal. Awkwardly holding her injured arm to herself she climbed into the sarc and Daniel watched as the lid closed over her, trapping her inside.

He briefly squeezed his eyes shut as he remembered his encounter with addiction from overusing the sarcophagus. Hoping he'd never have to lie in one of these things again, he waited impatiently for Sam to appear.

Finally the sarcophagus opened and she sat up, moving her arm and shoulder carefully.

"There, all better, Major," the doctor said.

"Yes, it is." Sam replied as she left the sarc.

"Someone will escort you to your quarters in a minute. We're a little short of staff at the moment. Colonel Makepeace is preparing to move the base to a more secure place. Apparently they're getting a bit too close to the truth down on Earth."

"We're moving?" Sam asked, surprised. "I just got here an hour ago. But now that you mention it – Colonel Makepeace didn't leave the ship with me. He said he had other business to attend to. And the ship took off as soon as I had left."

"They found a new planet safe for us to use. That's what the rumors say, but that's all I know. I've been ordered to prepare for moving. The first shipment of equipment goes out in two days."

Together they left the room and Daniel turned to find his way back to Teal'c and Cassie.

When Daniel joined them, the Jaffa had already loosened three of the four bolts holding the grill in place and was working on the last one now. Being big and strong definitely had its advantages, but there was sweat running down Teal'c's face and in the dim light falling in through the half open bathroom door, Daniel could see how ashen his usual ebony skin looked and how blood shot his eyes were.

"I found radios and a flashlight," Daniel whispered. "And binoculars. But no communication stone. I couldn't get into the armory either."

Teal'c removed the grill from the opening and Cassie handed him one of the radios and the flashlight Daniel had pushed into her hands.

"There's a change of plan," Daniel whispered hastily.

"Why?" Cassie hissed.

"Sam is here."

"Sam? How?"

"MajorCarter is here?" Even Teal'c sounded a tad surprised.

In a hushed voice Daniel explained how Sam had planned to join Makepeace's gang undercover. "Jack wasn't going to let her, but I guess General Hammond must have supported her plan. We need to tell her you're here, Teal'c. Maybe she has a way to contact Earth directly. And then we have to make sure our people get here before they move the base."

"Where do they intend to move to?" Teal'c asked.

"They didn't say. I don't know. But there's a ship coming to fly out equipment in two days. I overheard the doctor telling Sam."

"What now?" Cassie asked.

"There is advantage in this situation. You will go back to your cell," Teal'c instructed them in his calm deep voice. "I am sure MajorCarter will contact you soon. We will discuss an escape plan then. Go now." He picked up the grill to re-install it.

Daniel hid the remaining two radios and the binoculars in the shaft behind the grill of their bathroom.

Exhausted they crawled under their blankets.

"I feel better now that Sam is here," Cassie mumbled.

"Yeah. I just hope she'll come to see us soon," Daniel replied as he stared wide-eyed into the darkness.

She will," Cassie said.

Daniel was working in his office the next morning, but he was having trouble concentrating. The corridors had been full of soldiers carrying metal cases, crates and boxes. And flustered scientists who were worried about their equipment being damaged by rough handling.

Daniel wished he had a way of knowing where the exit was. He assumed the cargo was being taken to a hanger to wait for the Tel'tak's return.

Kershaw had stopped supervising his work apparently. She hadn't shown up this morning when the guard dropped him off. Not under Kershaw's watchful eyes anymore, Daniel was straying; cruising the Imhotep files instead of continuing on the mother ship blueprints.

So much knowledge! He became engrossed in the plans and progress reports of building the pyramid of Djoser. He skimmed the sections about herbals and potions to heal diseases. He also found a passage of text referring to the afterlife and how to bind a person's spirits to their loved ones after they died. That was unusual. Daniel had never heard about anything like it in Egyptian mythology.

He knew in ancient Egypt the soul of the dead were divided into pieces. The "Ka", the "Ba" and both united into the "Akh". The "Ka" presented the life force of a person. It was shown in the hieroglyphs as a pair of arms pointing upwards. The "Ba" was believed to be the personality of the deceased person. Everything that made the person what he or she was would be the "Ba". And finally the "Akh" was a combination of the life force and the personality. It was the resurrected spirit of the person. Together with the shadow and the name of the deceased, the "Akh" was ready for the afterlife.

Imhotep's notes talked about anchoring the "Akh" to another person. If a man for example wished to stay close to his wife rather than to move on to the afterlife after his death, he had to propose this wish to his mate. Then they would touch the Stone of the Akh together and so the Akh of the man would be anchored to his mate until she would release him – or join him - to start his journey into the afterlife.

He never heard of the "Stone of Akh" before. It seemed rather like a ghost story to him and he pursed his lips doubtfully. Jack had told him, during their picnic which seemed to be a lifetime away now, that SG-1 had brought home artifacts from Imhotep's planet and Daniel wondered if this stone had been among them. It was probably just a myth, but he'd like to take a look at it.

A noise at the door made him jump and he quickly closed the window so there were only the blueprints of the mother ship on his screen.

It was the guard who escorted him to lunch.

Daniel's heart sunk. For a moment he had hoped it would be Sam. But then it was probably difficult for her to visit him during the day. To his dismay the guard stayed with him today, even had lunch himself. Cassie was there, but they didn't have a chance to talk privately.

There was no sign of Sam trying to contact them during the afternoon and both children were anxious by the time the lights went out. Again there was no guard tonight, only the security cam rotating in the corner of their cell. They didn't talk much as they got ready for bed, but Daniel knew Cassie wasn't going to sleep anytime soon either.

They waited.

Adrenalin kept them awake, but Daniel still jumped when he heard the frizzle of the force field being deactivated. He bolted up and his blankets slipped from his bunk.

A figure came towards him, cap pulled down over the intruder's face so Daniel couldn't make out if it was a man or a woman. It was too dark to get a good look.

In the bunk above him, Cassie let out a gasp.

"Shh, it's me. I tinkered with the security cam in here, but we still have to be careful. I can't be seen talking to you. I volunteered to relieve your usual guard. I hope he won't tell anyone who took over his shift. Are you all right?"

"Sam," Cassie cried out. "Oh, Sam!"

"Shh. Stay in bed, Cassie." She ducked and crawled onto Daniel's bunk, sitting next to him. She was now swallowed by the shadows and hardly to see even if someone crossed the cell in the corridor. "How are you? God, we've been so worried..." Her voice trailed off and her hand squeezed Daniel's knee as if she wanted to make sure he was real. "I'm sorry I didn't come to see you sooner, but it took me some time to create a feedback loop of the security tapes so no one would get alerted by seeing me coming in here talking to you."

"Teal'c is here," Daniel burst out. But he managed to keep his voice down, in case anyone was in the corridor. In rushed short sentences he reported everything to her he thought important.

When he was done, Sam whispered, "Teal'c is alive? He's here?"

"Yes."

"Holy Hannah... And you managed to get yourselves radios?"

"Daniel did," Cassie whispered.

"We don't know exactly where Teal'c is," Daniel said. "He's in another holding cell. He has one of the radios. But I think he's sick, he mentioned they're drugging him. And they were experimenting on his symbiote.. ."

Sam nodded. "I need to talk to him."

"You have to use a secure frequency," Daniel said, feeling stupid immediately – of course she knew that.

"That won't be a problem. They don't use mobile radios inside the complex. They have a wall intercom. Okay, this changes things. Actually, in a good way. They're packing up to leave for another base within a week and blow this place up. I guess they're getting cold feet."

"What happened?" Daniel asked, anxious.

"Well, for starters we made it very difficult for them to roam the SGC with their cloaking devices. Kershaw and Grieves's cover was blown. Makepeace can't return to Earth without being interrogated. So they don't have a secure connection to what's going on at the SGC anymore. Washington is having a fit and my suspicion is that Maybourne – if he's behind all this – ordered them to move the base to make sure their secrets stay safe. I'm a security risk, too. They don't trust me, but they couldn't resist the temptation of having me." She grimaced. "I'm so flattered."

"They have plans for how to build mother ships," Daniel said.

"I know. Kershaw told me as much in my first briefing here. I'm supposed to work on the physics with her." She paused and then asked, "You got yourselves radios... do you have an escape plan?"

"Kinda. Our plan was to find an Asgard communication stone. Or get to the surface through one of the vent shafts and find a place to hide until the Tel'tak returns. I know how to fly it, so we were thinking if we could take the ship..." Daniel trailed off, suddenly a little unsure. This was a very ambitious plan. But now Sam was here, so help would come soon. Hopefully.

She smiled briefly. "Bold plan. Listen, I have a long range communication device to contact the Tok'ra as soon as I know where exactly we are." She shook her head. "They blindfolded me when we left the ship and pushed me through the gate on another planet."

"I know the gate address. They didn't bother to blindfold us," Daniel said.

She stared at him. "Are you serious?" When he nodded, she gripped his shoulder. "Daniel, can you write the symbols down for me?"

"Sure. I don't have pen and paper here though."

"I do!" Cassie threw her blankets away. "They gave me crayons to draw yesterday and some paper. I have it right here..." She rummaged around at the end of her bunk and handed Daniel a crayon and a sheet of paper.

Taking a deep breath, Sam said, "Okay. This is what we'll do. I'll contact the Tok'ra. It shouldn't take long before reinforcement comes through. But I need to hack into the base's computer to pull as much data as possible for evidence first. That might take a while. I have to find my way around their security protocols and firewalls. Then I'm going to get Teal'c. So you should go back to bed and wait until we come for you."

"Isn't there anything we can do to help?" Daniel asked as he scribbled down the symbols for Sam.

"Not right now. Keep your radio on, I'll let you know what's going on. I need to talk to Teal'c."

Daniel slipped out of bed and she followed him into the bathroom. At his request, Sam opened the grill, reached inside and pulled out the radios. When she switched it on, Daniel was suddenly sure it wouldn't work. They were so close to getting out of here – something HAD to go wrong.

"Teal'c," she said. "Carter here. Do you copy?"

They waited in the dark bathroom until Daniel's hands started hurting from having balled them into fists so tightly.

"MajorCarter," the Jaffa's rumbling voice finally replied. "It is I."

Sam closed her eyes for a brief moment. "Teal'c. It's good to hear your voice again."

"Likewise. What is your position."

"I'm with Daniel and Cassie. Daniel memorized the gate address to this planet. I'll contact the Tok'ra..." Sam hastily repeated her plan.

"My cell is on the same level as the children's," Teal'c replied. "However, it is guarded. Two men, both wearing tranquilizer rifles and zatnik'tels."

"Okay. I'll find you as soon as I've copied what I need from their computers. And called the Tok'ra. I'll stop by the armory and bring weapons."

"I will be ready," Teal'c said calmly.

Sam handed the radio back to Daniel. "You'll keep this, okay? I'll take the other one with me."

"Okay."

Suddenly Daniel was grabbed and hugged so tightly, he could hardly breath. He noticed Cassie being squashed into the embrace with him. "I'm so relieved," Sam whispered. "Colonel O'Neill and Janet are beside themselves with worry. Thank god you're okay."

Cassie wiped her eyes when Sam finally let them go. Daniel just felt awkward. To his relief, Sam returned to business. There was no time for celebrating yet. "Go back to bed," she said. "I'll keep you posted."

"Sam." Daniel put a hand on her arm when she turned to leave. "What if you get caught freeing Teal'c or messing with their computers?"

"Everyone is busy with moving stuff to the ship, so it should be all right." She patted his shoulder.

"No," Daniel said, shaking his head. "You don't know that. Plan B. Remember? Always have one in case plan A doesn't work. Jack O'Neill wisdom."

She took in a sharp breath. "There's a possibility. But I don't want you to get involved in this."

"We're already are deeply involved," Daniel said with a bitter smile.

"What's the plan?" Cassie asked.

"All right. I'll leave the communication stone with you." She looked at her watch. "If you didn't hear from me or Teal'c within two hours, call the Tok'ra. Don't try to escape. Just call them and wait."

"Okay," Daniel said and held out his hand. The communication device looked similar to the Asgard stone, only it was flat and black. There was a symbol in its middle.

"Press the symbol. It's set to reach the Tok'ra homeworld. It works with holographs like the Asgard stone. Ask for my dad."

Then they were alone again.

Two hours later, Sam hadn't called in. They had talked to Teal'c, but he hadn't heard from her either.

Cassie had bitten her nails down to the quick and was now pacing their cell.

In dreadful silence they listened to the sounds of running boots and barked orders from somewhere in the complex. Their corridor was deserted, no one came to check on them.

"They caught her," Cassie groaned finally.

"Teal'c," Daniel whispered into his radio again. "Any word from Sam yet?"

"I have not heard from MajorCarter either. Do not contact her. If she is hiding, we cannot risk giving away her position."

"We're going to call the Tok'ra now." He turned to Cassie. "I'm going into the bathroom. Let me know if someone's coming."

At her nod he hurried into the tiny room and pulled the stone from his pocket. Holding his breath in anticipation, he pressed the symbol.

Nothing happened.

"No," Daniel whispered. "Come on." He pressed it again, harder.

Still nothing.

Grabbing for his radio, he tried to stay calm. "Teal'c, the stone Sam gave me isn't working."

"What kind of stone is it?"

Daniel described the stone to Teal'c, including the carved symbol.

"It is a very old Goa'uld device. The Tok'ra must have modified it to their needs. It is secure for them to use as it is no longer used among the Goa'uld."

"It's not working," Daniel repeated.

"Its functionality may be impeded underground by certain metals in the soil and rocks. It is the reason the Goa'uld stopped using it. It will probably work on the surface."

"You'd think the Tok'ra would have found a way to work around that," Daniel moaned. "Why does everything they develop or engineer have flaws or dangerous side effects?"

"DanielJackson!" Teal'c sounded alarmed now. "Someone is coming. Can you find that main ventilatoin shaft?"

"Yes."

"Then go." After a pause Teal'c softly added. "Good luck."

Cassie opened the shaft and helped him climb in and they both put their night vision binoculars on. "These are like goggles," Cassie observed. "Cool."

"Come on." Daniel turned and began moving down the shaft. The night vision binoculars made it a lot easier for him to find his way in the labyrinth of the system.

"They'll be okay, right?" Cassie asked, her voice hollow.

"Sure they will be." But he wasn't sure at all.

Three times they had to turn and crawl back because of dead ends. Then, just when Daniel thought they kept coming back to the same tunnel, there was a breeze of air and they reached a wide opening in front of them. The main ventilation shaft was simply drilled into naked rock. There were no metal walls.

"That's it," he said. "Careful now. We don't want to fall down there." He stopped and looked around. The night vision goggles washed everything in a weird red glow. "There are metal steps in the wall."

To Daniel's relief Cassie had no trouble maneuvering herself out of the shaft onto the steps. She didn't have his fear of heights and was agile as a cat. Daniel watched her climbing up the steps and swallowed. He knew how to deal with his little problem. Not looking down, not even thinking 'down'. Upwards was the word. He'd deal. Taking a deep breath he followed his friend.

The climb was long and exhausting. He could hear Cassie's harsh breaths and the clonk, clonk, clonk of their boots on the steps, but that was all the sound there was.

Until Cassie suddenly stopped moving. "This stupid shaft is going on forever. How far underground is this base?" she moaned. They had passed one more parallel shaft a while ago, but no more since then. There was no place to rest. "I'm tired," she said annoyed. "They never get tired in the movies."

"Me too. And my arms hurt," Daniel admitted. "We can take a break here for a moment."

They were hanging on to the ladder, listening to the stillness. From time to time they heard the wind...

"Wind," Daniel said slowly. "There's wind. Do you hear that?"

"Yeah. That's good, right?" Cassie mumbled.

"Yes, it means we're probably closer to the exit now!"

Without another word Cassie started climbing again. After a while Daniel felt cold air on his cheeks and a breeze ruffle his hair. He stared upwards into the shaft, hoping to see light, but all he could see was the red glow from the night vision goggles.

Finally, Cassie called out they'd reached the end of the shaft. There was a platform underneath the grill where they could sit and rest for a few minutes. Rubbing his aching arms and legs, Daniel stared at the opening mechanism. "We can open it from the inside," he sighed in relief. "And it doesn't seem like you have to punch a code in to open it. That's good."

"A code?" Cassie moaned.

"If this had been an emergency exit like the access tube at the SGC you would have to punch in a code to open it. But apparently nobody expects someone unauthorized to come in here. So, this is actually easy."

Together they loosened the snappers and with a lot of cursing – Daniel had no idea Cassie knew so many swear words - and pushing, they finally managed to move the heavy grill to the side, enough to let a small body through. Daniel went first and helped Cassie out.

For a moment they lay still on the rock hard ground, listening for any sign of guards coming their way. It was still dark, but now he could make out clouds and an occasional star lurking in the sky. Slowly he reached a hand to his face and turned off the night vision, then pushed the goggles upwards so they were sitting on the top of his head.

Free.

They were free.

He took in big lung-fulls of the fresh delicious night air. Then he came to his knees and looked around. As far as he could see they were surrounded by rocks. A rough plateau. No trees in sight. Only a rocky surface and the sky.

"Try the stone," Cassie said breathlessly.

"Okay." Daniel fished it out of his jeans and held it in his hands for a moment, saying a silent childish prayer that it would work. Then he pressed the symbol on the smooth surface. They sat in tense silence as it started to light up with a soft orange glow. A small beam of light shot up into the sky. Daniel was reminded of the communicator the Tollans had used to call the Nox from the SGC.

"What now?" Cassie asked, brushing hair out of her face.

"Now we wait." Daniel carefully put the stone on the ground between them. The orange beam of light illuminated Cassie's face in a demonic way. She wrapped her arms around her body and he could see her trembling.

"Are you okay?" Daniel suddenly realized how cold it was on the surface.

"Chilly," Cassie said with clattering teeth.

"Yeah, it's..." He was interrupted as the stone sent a strong pulse of light and suddenly Jacob Carter's holographic head appeared between them. Both children bolted up, startled by his sudden appearance.

"Whoa!" Cassie yelled.

"Jacob!" Daniel, in his relief, forgot that the man didn't know him.

"Daniel Jackson, I assume?" Jacob asked, his lips twitching into a quick smile.

"Ah, yesss... General Carter... Selmak.."

"Is Cassandra with you? Are you kids all right?"

"Yes, she's here. We're fine. And, for the moment we're safe, too."

Sam's dad nodded and asked, "I expected Sam to call me. What happened?"

"We're not sure what happened to Sam." Daniel reported their situation to the general, who listened intently, his face furrowed with worry. When Daniel had told him everything, Jacob nodded again and said, "Keep your radio on in case Sam contacts you. Give me the gate address and I'll inform Colonel O'Neill. Back up should be there ASAP. They're on stand by, just waiting for my call. How heavily is the gate room guarded?"

Daniel gave Jacob the gate address and as much information he had about the gate room. The general told them to stay put and wait until someone contacted them. Before Daniel could get a word in, Jacob's face was gone and the beam of light shrank back into the stone.

"Stay put," Daniel sighed. "Very funny. We can't stay here. It's way too cold. We need to find shelter."

"Daniel? I think leaving is a problem," Cassie said flatly. "I think we're on a mountain."

When he turned and followed her outstretched finger he could see it, too. Not far from them the plateau fell away. Daniel stayed on his hands and knees as he crept closer to the edge. He peered into the deep Abyss. Dense fog hovered down there so he couldn't see what was at the foot of the mountain.

"Daniel!" Cassie had moved away from him and was on the other side of the plateau now, flat on her belly. "There's light down there. It looks like a landing platform. Maybe for the Tel'tak."

When he joined her, Daniel pulled down the binoculars and switched it on again. "It's a landing platform," he confirmed. "There're hanger doors over there. And there are people stacking boxes and equipment. I think they're waiting for the Tel'tak to return.

His radio crackled, then Sam's voice, full of static, but nevertheless her voice, came through. "Daniel? This is Sam. Do you read?"

"Sam!" both children cried out in relief. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine for now. I got held up a little. Where are you?"

"We're on the surface." He looked around. "On a mountain top. We can see the ship from here. There're lots of people bringing out cargo to the Tel'tak. Sam, I talked to your dad. He's going to call Jack. They should be coming through anytime! Did you get Teal'c?"

"Teal'c is with me. Is the ship there?"

"No, but I'm guessing it'll be back soon."

"Okay. Is there any safe way for you to leave the mountain and find shelter?"

"It's difficult, but we'll try," Daniel said.

"No! I don't want you to break your necks. Stay where you are. We'll pick you up as soon as we can. You're safe there for now."

The connection was interrupted, only static came out of the radio.

Daniel and Cassie looked at one another. He bit his lip and shook his head. "I have a bad feeling about staying up here," he said thoughtfully. "I can't explain it, but I feel like we're being served up on a silver platter. What if they panic when Jack comes through... and start a self-destruct program." Of course if that really happened, they probably couldn't run fast and far enough to escape the explosion... but one way or another they had to leave this mountain sooner or later. And maybe sooner was better than later.

"The mountain isn't as steep here as on the other side," Cassie said. "Do you think we can go down here? But Sam and her father said to stay."

The rock didn't drop vertically here. Perhaps due to a rock slide or an avalanche, the rock face was ragged and huge chunks of rocks created a natural slope down.

Daniel knew trying to descend the mountain was dangerous in the dark, even with the night vision goggles. But the pressing matter of being too close to the base in case something went wrong and everything blew up into their faces had him making the decision quickly. He'd take responsibility for it later. After all he had a radio to let Sam and Jack know where they were.

**8**

Jack stood in front of the two rows of men and women. More teams were on stand by as back up. Behind him the gate was open, rippling, waiting to suck them in and spit them out on the other side.

"Remember, I want Makepeace, Kershaw and Grieves alive," he reminded them. "And if you can, take the scientists prisoner. We need them for trial. That'd be all."

They'd come out on the other side, walking into open fire. Everyone was aware of that. Daniel had given Jacob as much intel as possible, but the kids hadn't been in the gate room since their arrival so there was no way of knowing how much force awaited them. Their possible advantage was Carter's intel - she had reported that a lot of Makepeace's men were working on the evacuating process, so with any luck the gate room on the other side wasn't too heavily armed. Every member of the rescue team was aware they might be walking into open fire on the other side of the gate, their orders had been to secure the Gateroom, and as soon as that was accomplished, begin an organized sweep to gather up the traitors.

Most important - The kids were in relative safety out of the base.

And Teal'c... Teal'c was there. Jack didn't allow himself to think about that particular bit of information right now. He needed to focus on the task at hand.

He adjusted his helmet – he hated being in full body armor, but he hated the helmet the most, it made his head itch and was too heavy- and turned to the open gate.

_Good luck, Jack_, Daniel's soft voice breezed through his mind, giving odd comfort.

"Let's move out," he said and then stepped through.

To bring all his kids home.

And when he came out on the other side, weapon ready to shoot, he found himself faced with only eight men guarding the gate room. Quickly – as he dove to the left, away from the gate - he assessed the situation, his mind on auto pilot. One exit. His eyes flicked upwards. No windows at a higher level, so no danger from above. Makepeace's men had opened fire immediately, but Jack was giving as good as they were trying to give it to him. He heard his teams storming through and all hell broke lose.

In the haze of fire, smoke, screams and dropping bodies, Jack flung himself to the ground next to Cameron Mitchell and Kawalsky. He rolled to his side, his gun spitting bullets at two of Makepeace's rats.

The door opened and more men piled in, firing immediately. The base alarm went off, its howling mingling with the noises of the battle.

"Sir! Do you read?" Carter's voice over the radio.

"CARTER! What's your status?!"

"We're trying to keep them out of the corridor to the gate room, but it's not going well!"

"I can SEE that," Jack yelled as a couple more men entered the room. The line of soldiers, however, was patchy. More went down and Jack gripped Kawalsky's arm "Cover me," he barked.

"Got'cha!" Charlie gave him the thumbs up. Mitchell and Ferretti were already firing over Jack's head at the men trying to defend their gate room.

Jack leaped forward, his P90 firing at those who were foolish enough to get in his way. Like a mad bull he plowed his way through the room, trusting his people to have his six, until he reached the doors.

Feretti, Michtell and Kawalsky were right behind him.

"Coming through now," he yelled in his radio. "How many in the corridor?!"

"Three," Carter replied. "Teal'c's got it covered though." Even in the chaos around him he could hear the smile in her voice.

He'd have a meltdown over Teal'c later.

He burst through the door. Several bodies lay scattered across the floor.

"Carter, where's the control room?"

"It's further down the corridor, closer to the hangar, on the left."

Kawalski and Ferretti were already sprinting down the corridor before she had finished the sentence. A noise behind him made Jack spin, but suddenly Teal'c was at his side firing his staff through the open gate room door.

Then it stopped.

The silence was too loud in Jack's ears as he stepped back into the gate room, avoiding treading on dead bodies. "Reynolds!" he called. "Report!"

"Two down. Five injured on our side. Lots more on theirs. The doc is looking after them." Reynolds came towards him, grimacing. "I'd say we won."

"Good job. I need six of your men to secure this rathole."

Reynolds called his marines and Jack waved them out into the corridor. He turned back to the colonel. "Send everyone who's wounded back, then secure this room. Nobody but us and the prisoners get in or out. And keep the gate open."

"Yes, sir." Reynolds waved at a young captain to dial home. There was a DHD here, smack in the middle of the room, on a pedestal.

"O'Neill."

Jack slowly turned to look at the man he had thought to be dead. "Teal'c," was all he said. He had no words to describe the relief and disbelief surging through him.

They silently locked arms in that warrior greeting thing Teal'c used to do with Bra'tac and Jack felt something click back into place. The big guy looked weary, his eyes blood shot with dilated pupils. His shoulders seemed to be less broad, his skin had a gray hue.

Jack knew better than to ask his Jaffa friend if he was okay. And there wasn't time for lengthy conversation right now. Only one thing mattered.

Teal'c was alive.

ALIVE!

Oh, what the hell... Jack pulled the man into a bear hug, slapped his back and didn't care about anyone watching them. "YES," he said. "I knew you were just hiding somewhere, T-man."

"It is good to see you again," Teal'c said, inclining his head as a brief smile crossed his features.

"Too busy to write a postcard, were ya?" Jack said with a quirk of his mouth as he let go of his friend.

"Indeed."

Carter was coming down the corridor and Jack turned to her. "Carter, how many levels are there?"

"Only two, but the upper level is still under construction, nobody works there. Aside from the gate room, this level has labs, offices, quarters and holding cells, plus the armory and storage rooms."

"You got everything we need for evidence?"

"Yes, sir. I downloaded most of their data from the main computer, including lists of stolen technologies and their origin and other valid information." She grimaced and pointed at a gash over her left eye. "I got caught and for a while it didn't look so good, but I made it and," she patted the pocked of her tac vest, "got everything on a stick."

Jack noticed the blood trickling down her face wasn't from the old wound, but a new one. There was no sign of the stitched injury she had left the SGC with. He'd ask her about that little detail later. "Meyers, Jefferson – join the marines and do a quick sweep of this level. Anyone who wants to get outta here alive is free to return to Earth," he ordered and stepped back into the gate room where the gate had just sprung to life and soldiers helped their wounded team mates up from the floor. "Doc?!"

Fraiser made her way towards Jack, her hair hanging lose around her face, her uniform sprinkled with blood. "I can't do much for the injured here. Our best option is to send them home ASAP. The medical team is on stand by to take care of the wounded coming through."

"You're with me, Doc." Without waiting for an answer he returned into the corridor where Carter was just trying to restrain Kershaw with Mitchell's help. Jack pointed his P90 at her. "Where is Grieves?" he snarled.

"Go to hell!" Kershaw hissed.

"We didn't see him." Carter efficiently spun Kershaw around and kneed her in the back to keep her in place. Mitchell pulled restraints from his vest and wound them around her wrists.

"You'll regret this, Carter!" Kershaw spat.

"I. Don't. Think. So," she snapped as she jerked the outraged woman to her feet, handing her over to Mitchell, who dragged her away to the gate. A moment later the young captain was back at Jack's side.

"Carter, Teal'c, Mitchell, Fraiser - with me. Time to find the kids and put a stop to the evacuating process. Let's find the exit," Jack ordered briskly.

"MajorCarter and I studied the floor plans of this facility earlier. Follow me." Teal'c was already leading the way.

Jack was about to follow him, when Carter's hand on his arm made him stop. She sent a worried look after T. "He's not doing too well. There's a sarcophagus in the infirmary, but he refused to use it." With a little snort she added, "Not that there was much time to use it anyway. Makepeace's people kept us busy."

"They put you into it?" That'd explain the non-existent old injury and why she didn't seem to have trouble with her shoulder anymore.

"Yes, right after I arrived. But, sir, I think Teal'c is only holding up by sheer will. I'm afraid he needs a new symbiote."

"Well, there's nothing we can do about that now," Jack said grimly. As he was catching up to Teal'c, he smacked his radio. "Daniel?!" No reply. "Daniel, Cassie... it's me, Jack. Can you hear me?"

Only silence answered him.

Then his radio crackled, but it wasn't Daniel. "Kawalsky here. We took over the control room. There's a problem."

"Self destruct," Feretti added. "We have twenty minutes to get our collective butts out of here."

"Twenty?" Mitchell raised his eyebrows."That's a long time."

"I think they want to get as much equipment out of here as possible before blowing us up," Carter assumed. "When I talked to Daniel he said there're men top side, piling up cargo for the Tel'tak."

"Daniel," Jack hissed, a deadly cold hand clutching around his guts. "Where the hell are those kids?"

**9**

"We need to get closer," Daniel whispered.

"They'll see us!" Cassie ducked behind a small formation of rocks. "And you said we need to get further away in case they've set the self destruct."

"I know what I said. But I've been thinking... If we could only stop the ship from leaving again." Daniel absently rubbed his aching knee, then winced at the throb in his hand. Climbing down the mountain had left them bruised, sore and aching. But at least they had found a trail going down easy enough for them to descend.

The ship had returned by the time they'd reached the foot of the mountain. Huge boxes had been ringed up before the ship had landed and the grunts were now carrying cargo inside as someone yelled orders.

Daniel used his binoculars again. "There are at least ten people. Heavily armed. Damn. If we only had one of those cloaking devices."

"Why isn't Sam checking with us?" Cassie asked nervously. "I want to know what's going on in there."

Daniel reached to his belt for his radio.

It was gone.

Not there.

_Gone._

He patted his pant pockets, the first signs of upwelling panic surged through him in hot waves.

No radio.

Wide eyed he turned to Cassie. "I lost it," he whispered breathlessly. "When we climbed down. I must've lost it. The... the radio."

"You didn't!"

"I'm sorry!"

Cassie flung herself on him, pounding his chest with small, hard fists. "I can't believe it," she hissed. "How could you lose it!"

"It must have fallen out of my belt! Stop it. They're gonna hear us," Daniel hissed back, grabbing her arms to stop her. She let go of him immediately, slumping to the ground with a defeated moan.

Daniel joined her, trying to wrap his head around the fact that he had LOST the radio. With that he had lost any possibility of contacting Sam or Jack to let them know where they were.

How could he have been so careless? So stupid? So... so...

And suddenly his own voice seemed to speak to him from somewhere... maybe from inside his head, or maybe not... because Cassie lifted her face and her eyes widened as she looked around. It was his voice, but his adult voice talking to him, forcing him to calm down and listen...

"Get closer to the ship!"

Daniel blinked, trying to fight against the black hole of exhaustion and panic. He had no radio. Jack couldn't call him. Because he had LOST THE RADIO.

"Don't lose it, Daniel, not now! Jack is going to be here any minute! You need to focus!" Again that clear voice, firm but reassuring. "Get closer to that ship. Now."

"Closer?" Cassie griped. "Are you nuts? They'll shoot holes into us."

"What?" Daniel murmured. How could she have heard his voice. He hadn't said anything, he had just been thinking... maybe he'd been thinking out loud?

"You said we have to get closer to the ship," Cassie said, sounding just as panicked as he felt.

Daniel rose to his feet, pulling her with him. Suddenly his brain started working again, the fear subsided to a far corner of his mind. "Yes, closer. Look - there's only five of them now. The others have gone back inside. If we could get close enough to hide in the shadow of the ship and throw stones or something to distract them, we could get on board, maybe. There's communications on board."

And communication meant they'd be able to contact Sam.

Cassie gave him a slap on the arm. "Get real! That's never going to work!"

Daniel winced when he accidentally chewed his bottom lip so hard it hurt. Pressing the binoculars hard against his eyes, he tried to figure out what was going on. Soldiers were running around, shouting at each other, some were raising their weapons and ran back inside.

Then...

Gun fire was echoing across the craggy landscape. Two men fell just outside the huge hanger doors embedded in the mountainside. Cassie grabbed his arm. "What's going on?"

"Let's get closer," Daniel repeated.

In the chaos going on by the ship they made it unseen to another small dip much closer to the Tel'tak. Daniel could see people moving quickly. The sparkles of gun fire and sounds of shooting continued.

After a moment Daniel grabbed Cassie's shirt sleeve and pulled her upwards again. Hunched over they ran until they reached the back of the Tel'tak.

Together they crept around the large ship, staying in its shadow until they had a clear view of the hanger doors. Daniel caught a glimpse of a huge man firing a staff weapon at two soldiers.

"It's Teal'c," he exclaimed in relief. "And next to him... "

"There's uncle Jack!" Cassie's hand clutched Daniel's shoulder.

Jack was looming in the entrance to the mountain now, hand on the trigger of his P90, yelling. "Right, listen up! I'm only gonna say this once. Surrender and put your guns down. It's time to either go home or..."

"Die!" Teal'c boomed.

"What he said. And believe me, he's not a happy camper."

Three man peeled out of the shadow of the ship and walked towards Jack with their hands in the air.

It was over...

"Daniel!" Cassie's fingers dug deeper into his shoulder. "There are two more coming from the left! I can barely see them, but I think they're armed!"

At the hanger Teal'c was waving the three soldiers inside with his staff after Jack had disarmed them quickly.

Jack was getting closer to the ship, weapon ready to shoot. "Let's take a look at that ship, T," he called out. He slapped his radio. "Carter? How much time do we have?"

"I'm working on it, sir. Ten minutes. Did you find the kids?"

"Not yet! Carter, if this rathole blows up... "

"I'm on it! Carter out!"

The two men who carefully stepped closer were still in the shadows, unseen by anyone not as close as Daniel and Cassie.

"Stones," Daniel hissed. "Let's throw stones. The ship is hiding us. They won't see us."

They crouched and picked up lose rocks from the ragged ground. Some weren't bigger than pebbles, but others were heavier and felt more like tennis balls in their hands.

They aimed and sent their stones flying at the shadowy figures a few feet away from them. Yells of pain and surprise disrupted the air. Cassie threw another salvo. "Take that you jerk," she whispered triumphantly and Daniel joined in, peppering their enemies with every little pebble he could get his hands on.

Confused and distracted, the men stumbled forward and out of the shadows, into the light spreading out from the hanger doors. Daniel grabbed more stones and sent them flying.

They plastered themselves flat against the ship's hull when more gunfire erupted and the two guys fell to the ground not far from them.

"It's over," Cassie said, "let's go..."

"No, we can't just run out now. Jack doesn't know it's us. They might accidentally shoot us, thinking we're the enemy..."

Jack came over, stepping close to the ship, gun still ready to shoot. "I can see you hiding back there. Identify yourself..." he trailed off and then shouted. "Daniel? Is that you?"

"It's us, Uncle Jack," Cassie cried out, stumbling out of their hiding place and running to him. "Uncle Jack! It's us!"

Jack caught her with one arm, pressing her against him. Daniel watched as he touched her tousled long hair, patted her back and kissed the top of her head. "You okay? Cassie? Thank god..."

"I'm fine," she sobbed against his chest. "I'm fine. We were throwing stones... Daniel... Daniel..."

"Shhh, it's okay baby, it's okay." He slapped the button of his radio. "Janet! I've got them. It's secure for the moment. Mitchell, get into that ship. I want to know if anyone's hiding in there." He hugged her again, whispering something in her ear.

Daniel didn't know what to do. He didn't want to interrupt the reunion, so he stayed where he was. Then Janet was there and took Cassie from Jack. "Daniel?" she asked, her voice trembling with emotion as she rocked her daughter in her arms like a little girl.

"I'm here." He looked at the ground. "I lost my radio, I'm sorry," he mumbled. Then he remembered they were supposed to stay on top of the mountain. "I thought it'd be safer to climb down in case someone activated the self-destruct. And on our way down I lost it," he said quietly.

"Daniel..." Jack began, but Teal'c joined them just at the moment.

"MajorCarter is not able to override the self-destruct sequence. Everyone else has left through the stargate, but we will not reach the gate room in time from here."

Jack put a hand on Daniel's shoulder and gave him a little push towards the Tel'tak. "We'll take the taxi then," he said. "T, get her ready for launch." He slapped his radio again. "Carter? Can you make it to the gate?"

"Negative, sir, we're on our way to the hangar! Five minutes!"

"Move it!" Jack and Daniel hurried through the open door into the Tel'tak, Cassie and Janet on their heels. Teal'c was already at the helm. "Doc, get the children to one of the quarters."

Jefferson and Meyers reached the ship next.

"Jack, I'm sorry," Daniel said as he was led away by Janet's gentle but firm hand on his back. "I didn't mean to..." The doors to the bridge closed behind them as Jack yelled at Sam, Feretti and Kawalsky to hurry the hell up.

Once they had reached the quarters, Daniel and Cassie were made to sit down on the bunks. "I'm going to give you a quick examination when we're out of here. Do you hurt anywhere?" she asked.

"Only my hands and head," Cassie said with a tired shrug. She had a huge bump on her forehead, where she'd smacked into Teal'c's vent grill two nights ago.

"She's hurt because I made her go down the mountain," Daniel said.

"It was the right thing to do," Janet soothed him. She sat between them and put one arm around Cassie and one around Daniel, pulling them both against her.

Like that they sat in silence until they felt the Tel'tak vibrate and heard the yowling of the engines. A moment later the ship left ground and Daniel could feel it moving as they descended into the atmosphere and out of orbit.

The explosion from the planet was like a dull roar and the Tel'tak jumped a couple of times, before it seemed to steady itself again. Daniel saw the hull of the ship ripple again as they jumped to hyperspace.

"Mom?" Cassie stared at her with huge eyes. "Mom, it's over now, right?"

"Yes, honey, yes it's over," Janet said, stroking her daughter's face and hair. Her other arm stayed around Daniel and he closed his eyes and enjoyed the comfort as long as it might last.

He was so tired. And he didn't want to be yelled at by Jack. Janet had said they'd done the right thing, but there was no excuse for losing his radio on his way down the mountain. He'd endangered their lives because no one had been able to contact them. If they'd been hurt on their way down or gotten lost anywhere else... These thoughts circles in Daniel's head like a loop, coming back and back... It had been pure luck they had come down so close to the Tel'tak and that Jack and Teal'c had already been there...

Janet began examining them quickly, checking their temperatures, shining the pen light into their eyes, looking into their mouths and fussing generally about how dirty and skinny they looked. When that was done, she began to treat their bruised and sore hands.

When she put away her antiseptic wipes she clucked her tongue and looked around the sparse room. "You two need to warm up and rest." She brushed Cassie's red mane out of her face. "I'll go and talk to the colonel about supplies. And I need to take care of Teal'c. I'll send someone to bring you blankets. Are you two going to be okay for now?"

Cassie swallowed. Daniel thought she was about to ask Janet not to leave her. But then she nodded. "Okay, mom."

"We're not going anywhere," Daniel offered with a small smile.

Janet touched his face as if she wanted to make sure he was real and not an illusion. "I know," she whispered. "Try to get some rest."

**10**

"It'll take us approximately six days to the next known Stargate. That's not so bad," Carter informed them when Fraiser entered the bridge.

"We got lucky," Captain Mitchell reported. "There's a cargo bay with food, water and medical supplies. Majors Kawalsky and Feretti are checking the other cargo bay. We assume it holds equipment from the base. Technology and computers. We found several stacks of lab containers with unknown contents."

"Food and medical supplies," Jack said. "Nice." He turned to the doc. "How are the kids?"

"They're fine, well, as good as can be under the circumstances. I'm going to get something to eat for them and see if I can find blankets," she said and then took a good look at Teal'c. "I want to give you a quick check up too, Teal'c. I'll get back to you once I've tucked the kids in."

If the big guy felt threatened by the small doctor, he didn't show it, he merely inclined his head.

"There's no one else on board," Mitchell said. "We checked everything and used the TER to make sure nobody is wearing one of these cloaks."

"Excellent. Carter, I suggest you call your dad. He gets frantic if you don't mind the curfew."

"Yes, sir," she said with a grin.

Jack took a good look at her. "How's that shoulder, _Captain_?"

She blinked. "Err... it's fine, sir. They had a sarcophagus and Makepeace ordered the doc to make me use it."

"Good for you. Everyone find a bunk to... bunk down. Or get something to eat. It's gonna to be a long journey. Teal'c, how ya doing?" The unhealthy color of the Jaffa's skin worried Jack. He'd thought the light had been tricking him earlier, but Teal'c's face was still rather gray than the usual rich dark brown. And there were crow feet around his eyes that hadn't been there before.

"I am well, O'Neill," T said.

"Oh, I don't know. Let the doc judge about that." Jack clapped a broad shoulder that didn't seem as broad as he remembered it. "Mitchell, you have the helm. I gotta look after my kid." Jack sauntered of the bridge.

"Sir?" Carter sounded a tad offended there. "_Captain_?"

"Thinking about it," Jack deadpanned as the door swished close behind him.

Cassie was curled up like a little hedgehog when Jack entered the room. She was covered by a Field jacket. But Daniel was sitting on his bunk, knees pulled up to his chin, arms tightly wrapped around his legs, gazing at nothing in particular. He visibly winced as he looked up when the door closed behind Jack.

"Cassie's asleep," Daniel offered in a hushed voice. "Please don't wake her, she's been so brave all the time. I think she's totally beat though."

Jack took a double take at how hollow cheeked Daniel was, how huge his blue eyes seemed in his smudged face. His first impulse was to grab the boy and hug the stuffing out of him. But there was something about the kid, something distant, yet fragile. Jack stopped in font of him, not quite sure what to say or do. Then it dawned on him what Daniel just said. Shaking his head, Jack sat on the bunk next to him. "I didn't come to look after Cassie," he said. "I came to check on you."

"Oh," Daniel said flatly. "Did you... did it take... I mean... I know we were supposed to stay on the mountain and I lost the radio. I didn't mean to. And I'm sorry Cassie got hurt on our way down."

Jack just stared at him, trying to figure out what the boy was talking about. "Daniel,..." he began finally, but was cut off.

"I know you don't like anyone disobeying orders, but I still think we shouldn't have stayed on that mountain. I never should have lost the radio though."

"Daniel, if you hadn't been down by the ship we wouldn't have made it out of there in time," Jack said patiently. "We wouldn't have left you kids behind, no matter what. That you were where you were was the best thing that could have happened under the circumstances."

"Oh," Daniel said again, a small tinge of surprise in his voice. "I... you're right, maybe. I feel like I can't think straight anymore. I thought... I..."

"What?" Jack asked softly, realizing the kid was in some kind of shock. No matter how much of his adult personality this Daniel had intact, he had probably just reached his limits.

"Thought you'd be mad. Because I lost the radio and didn't follow Sam's orders."

"Ah, I had so much shooting to do, there was no time to get mad at you," Jack said with a smile. "Besides, you gave us the gate address. If it wasn't for you we'd still be trying to figure out where to look for you." After a heartbeat he added quietly. "And you found Teal'c."

"Actually, Cassie found him," Daniel said, a smile creeping into his face ever so slowly.

Jack put his hand on one skinny shoulder and gently turned Daniel around so they were facing each other. "What I'm trying to say is that you've done an outstanding job. Taking care of Cassie, figuring out how to escape, thinking on your feet, making quick decisions... If I didn't believe you're Daniel Jackson before, I would now, that's for sure."

Daniel blushed and lowered his head in the typical Daniel-way. "We were a good team, Cassie and I. She's very brave. And she never stopped believing that you'd find us."

"Of course I'd find you. It's what I do," Jack said, glad he didn't have to reveal to the kid for how long they had been in the dark.

If it hadn't been for Carter and Daniel...

"Jack? Can I ask you a favor?" He sounded still too subdued, but there was some color back in his cheeks now. Taking a deep breath Daniel continued, before Jack could get a word in. "When we reach the planet with the gate, can you send me to Abydos?"

Jack blinked. This came so totally unexpected, he needed a moment to process the thought. "Abydos?" he parroted, then cleared his throat. "But why?"

"I could live there." He ducked his head again. "They wouldn't send me away."

Jack stared at him and Daniel shrugged. "I could work there. I've done that before."

"And become a … what? Beast herder?"

"I don't know. I could leave once I've grown up. Become a traveler, a trader. I could study civilizations of other planets... Be a scribe." He seemed to warm up to the idea. When he continued he became animated again, the dullness gone from his voice. "I'd be free there. And you wouldn't have to worry about what to do with me."

"Daniel, I've been thinking," Jack began, but again the kid cut him off with a wave of his hand.

"I don't want to return to Earth. There's nothing there for me. I don't want to be a burden. And I don't want to visit a boarding school either. You left me on Abydos once before. I'm sure nobody would miss me... well, Cassie and Janet maybe, but they'll get over it."

_Tell him_, a niggling voice inside Jack's mind insisted. _Tell him you're taking him home_. But what came out of his mouth was, "Is that really what you want, Daniel?"

"Yes." They exchanged a look - and Jack caved.

Maybe it was for the best. He had never been a great dad to Charlie and he hadn't exactly been loveable to Daniel. Why would the kid want to stay with him anyway. He wasn't his Jack and he never could be. There'd be a lot to sort out at home and maybe he'd get his team back. What was left of it anyway.

Hammond should have returned from DC by now and hopefully all the prisoners they sent through were locked up securely.

When the dust had settled it was time to start over again and go back to what he did best.

Jack reached out and ruffled Daniel's matted hair. "I'll think about it," he said. "You have to come back with us as a witness though. We need your report. But I'm sure I can make it work for you. And I think we should give the Abydonians a heads up."

"Cassie, Teal'c and Sam can tell them everything they need to know in trial," Daniel objected.

"Maybe. You'll still come back with us. But we'll dial Abydos and I'll talk to Kasuf."

"The Abydonians won't send me away," Daniel insisted, giving Jack a scowl.

"Do you always have to have the last word? I won't send you to Abydos without proper clothing and surely not without talking to Kasuf first. You need an GDO in case you want to come back... ."

"I don't want to come back. And what if they won't let me go? What if, once I'm back on Earth, they insist I'll live with a foster family or go to that boarding school General Hammond and you wanted to send me too..."

"What do you know about that?" Jack asked dumbfounded.

Daniel turned away from him, crossing his arms over his chest.

Taking a calming breath, Jack said, "Fine. I'll promise you to make it work. They'll let you go. Trust me."

"You said that before," Daniel muttered.

"What?"

"You said you'd convince General Hammond to let me work on base in the linguistic department. That didn't work out, did it?"

Jack scrubbed a frustrated hand through his hair. "Well, no, but..."

"I'm tired," Daniel said groggily. "I want... I want a place I can call home again. And I think that's going to be Abydos. Can't you just let me go?"

Jack didn't know what exactly he had expected when he contemplated Daniel to live with him. That he found the kid and all their problems would be gone like dust in the wind? That Daniel would let himself hug and cuddle and want to go home with him – like in the movies? That it suddenly didn't matter that Jack had been an ass all those weeks before and that Daniel would want to stay with him just because he was a Jack O'Neill? Just because he had changed his mind about the kid?

It never worked like that in real life.

Daniel had come up with a solution on his own and Jack didn't have the right to deny him his choice. He didn't 'own' this child. And he sure hadn't done much to earn his respect and ... love.

"I'll think about it," he said finally.

"Thank you."

There was nothing more to say and when the doors opened and Janet rushed in with blankets in her arms, followed by Kawalsky who carried a tray laden with food, Jack stood and left.

His next stop was Teal'c. He was lying on one of the beds in the room Janet had taken him to. There were no candles lit, but he seemed to be in a deep meditation...or sleep. Janet was just packing up her medical bag when Jack entered. She put a finger on her lips and ushered him out again into the corridor.

"How is he?" Jack asked.

"Not well. I've given him a sedative. He'll sleep for the next couple of hours and once he wakes, the effect of the drug circulating in his blood stream should have worn off. It's likely he'll experience withdrawal and I want to keep him under light sedation during that period too. Theoretically, once the drug is out of his system, he should be able to kel'no'reem again and regain some of his strength. For a while."

"Theoretically?" Jack echoed, raising an eyebrow.

She looked up at him, her eyes dark with worry. "It all depends on his symbiote, if it's able to sustain his condition and heal him. To do that it first has to heal itself though. Teal'c told me he had several replacements of prim'tas over the time he'd been held hostage. This new one is very young and already damaged due to various tests they performed on it and the lack of kel'no'reeming. If the Jaffa can't kel'no'reem, their symbiote becomes sick. Our best hope is to make it home and put him on life support, hoping the symbiote will help his healing process."

"Or," Jack said, "we go to Chulak and get him a new one before we go home."

"That's a possibility." She nodded. "He still has to make it through the next four days until we reach the Stargate though."

"He's a tough guy, he'll make it," Jack said curtly.

They'd just gotten him back. Losing Teal'c now was unacceptable. Not gonna happen. Jack jerked his head in the direction of the kid's room. "Go, be with your daughter. I'll stay with him for a while."

The doc gave him a tired smile. "Thanks, Colonel. He should be all right for now. If there's any change, come and get me."

Jack settled on the bunk next to Teal'c's and watched him sleep for a while. Teal'c was almost unnervingly still, not even a muscle in his face twitched, only the faint movements of his chest indicated he was still breathing.

Jack leaned his head against the wall, gazing at nothing in particular. He tried to imagine Daniel living on Abydos as a beast-herder. What a fulfilling life for a guy with three doctorates. But then, Daniel could become a teacher when he was older. Like their Daniel had been in the year he'd spent there, teaching the kids how to write and read. Little Daniel could pick up on that.

He'd probably be a lot happier on Abydos too. Born and raised in the hot sands of Egypt... Jack could see Daniel on Abydos. He'd have a free life there, wouldn't have to worry about his classified knowledge and the NID kidnapping him.

Then what was so glaringly wrong with this picture?

_You're not very good at this._

Jack groaned inwardly and closed his eyes. "What?"

_Showing feelings, making up your mind, being sensible... take your pick._

"Yeah, and you know that. So what's the point in telling me?" He gazed at the sleeping Jaffa next to him. Had the big guy just raised an eyebrow?

Nah. Couldn't be.

_Because I know you can do it if you really want to, _Daniel said lightly. Jack could even 'hear' the smile in his voice.

"Daniel... if that's really you..." Jack knew this was a stupid question. But he had to ask it anyway.

_It's me._

"Right. Don't voices in people's head usually claim they're real?" Why was he having this conversation in the first place?

_Yes, they probably do. But I'm still really me. In your head. Which, by the way, is kind of weird._

"IF that's really you... How come I can't see you? It'd help me to believe I'm not losing it." He had hoped Daniel's voice would be gone since it hadn't said anything since Jack had gone through the gate.

No such luck.

_I can't show myself because my body... well, you know... it's buried._

"Ah, yeah. I remember that." Buried in the sands of Abydos.

_Anyway, that's not important right now... _

"I'm hearing voices, Daniel. I'd say that's important enough to go a little mental." Jack buried his head in his hands. If he was really going bonkers he could forget about getting his team back. And nobody would give him custody of a kid...

_You're not crazy, Jack_. Daniel's voice was soft and soothing.

"Again... That's what imaginary voices always say, right?"

_I touched something. Or rather we did. _

Touched something? "We did?"

_Yes. Something from Imhotep's library. Remember the little statue? The one I showed you?_

"Nope."

_It's in your office now._

Jack blinked. "The little naquadah god?"

When SG-1 had first returned to Earth from their visit to the library they had brought several artifacts back with them to analyze. Jack remembered Daniel had called him that same afternoon and asked him to come to his office and take a look at some special figurine...

_...Not sure why Daniel wanted him of all people to look at one of his rocks, Jack indulged him anyway and found himself staring at a little statue. _

"_Can you feel how warm the naquadah is? That's very unusual. It's pulsating, almost as if it's alive. This figure is called the stone of Akh, it has great powers... according to the myth. And no, it's not a weapon," Daniel said. He had that look in his eyes; the one he always got when some rock or chicken scratchings were especially intriguing to him. _

_Jack turned the stone of Akh over in his hand and squinted at it. Daniel was right; the figurine felt warm. "Do you want Carter to take a look at it? Maybe it's some kind of energy... thingy?"_

_Reading his thoughts, Daniel shook his head. "It's not dangerous. Sam already looked at it, she couldn't find any major energy fluctuations or anything. It's just a statue."_

"_Okay. What's it supposed to do?"_

"_It's supposed to bind our souls together," Daniel said flippantly._

_Jack raised his eyebrows. "Rrright." Then he blinked. "What?"_

_Daniel reached for the statue, their hands touched and for a brief moment Jack felt a strong pulse running through the stone and into his fingers, then the impression was gone and he couldn't tell if he'd just imagined it. Daniel took the statue out of Jack's hand._

"_Never mind. I know you don't care for my rocks. I just thought..." He shrugged. "It's a very interesting mythology. Want to hear it?"_

_And Jack, with his great talent for missing opportunities and saying the wrong thing at the wrong time, held up his hands and walked backwards out the door. "Hell, no! C'mon, I'm hungry. They have hamburgers for lunch."..._

...Daniel had put the figurine down and followed him, shrugging the whole thing off with a grin.

Sitting in the dimly lit bunk room on the Tel'tak, Jack shook his head and said. "You're telling me that Akh thing did something to… to... what exactly did it do?"

_It ties the souls of those together who're touching the stone at the same time. I'm sorry. I had no idea it would actually work. Nor did I know I was going to die. For real this time. _

The sadness lacing Daniel's voice made Jack's throat go tight. He was torn between willing this weird dialogue to end and finally opening up and telling him... telling him... everything. While he still could.

_Jack? You need to talk to Daniel. Don't let him go to Abydos._

"It's what he wants," Jack said absently.

_Yeah, maybe. But it's not what he needs._

"I can't make him stay with me. He has the right to make his own choices. To decide where he's happy."

_You didn't try very hard to convince him you want him to stay. You both hurt. You both need to heal. And you can help each other to heal. _

"As you just said, Daniel, I'm no good at this touchy feely stuff."

_But you can do it. _

"Says who?"

_I know you can. _

"Well, apparently you know me better than I do... " Jack trailed off. Now Teal'c's jaw had twitched for sure. "Hey, T? You awake?"

There was no reaction, just the steady up and down of the Jaffa's broad chest under the thin blanket.

_I wish I could do something for him_, Daniel's voice murmured, laced with grief.

"You're just in my imagination. How could you possibly do something for him?" Jack was weary of this crap. Yet, he couldn't stop replying to his inner Daniel.

_I'm not part of your imagination._

"Yes, you are."

_No, I'm not._

"Are too."

_Not_

Jack clamped his mouth tightly shut. He focused on Teal'c, even put a hand on his friend's shoulder. But the man was dead to the world, which was probably a good thing considering his condition. Meant Fraiser's sedative was working if nothing else.

_I can see you, Jack. _

_Oh, here we go. And I thought you'd finally shut up, _Jack thought with resignation.

_I can see it all now. Underneath all those layers of denial, the military bravado, the loneliness, anger and snarkiness... I can see you. Who you really are. _

"Okay, now you're really creeping me out," Jack said with a hollow laugh. "Tell me again I'm not losing my mind? Please?"

_You're not losing your mind, Jack. And whatever you want to accomplish, you can do it. Take Daniel home. He needs you as much as you need him. Get your mojo back. Put things right between you and Charlie. _

"He died," Jack blurted out. "My kid died in Daniel's universe. From that gun shot." He hadn't allowed himself to think about that piece of information much until now. "I kept seeing him die, drowning in his own blood, for a very long time after I caught him playing with the gun. It was just a nightmare. And I thought that was hell." He couldn't even imagine what that other Jack O'Neill had been gone through all those years after losing his son. "There's so much I need to say to Charlie. I just don't know how."

_You'll figure it out. _

"Then there's this little Daniel," Jack droned on, not caring anymore if he was talking to Daniel or the sleeping Jaffa or just to the walls. "He said they'll accept him as one of their own on Abydos. And they probably will. There's not much I can offer over that. And I might go off world again. Who's going to look after him then."

And yet he felt more than a little reluctant about letting the kid go. It was crazy, but Jack knew he cared for this mini version of Daniel. Cared, and maybe in a way, loved him. Not the way he had loved his adult Daniel. But there was a part in him that felt strongly he and the kid belonged together.

_Jack, you're not alone. You know that. Together you'll work it out. _

"What if he says no?"

_He won't. Trust me? He simply doesn't believe you could ever want him to stay. He doesn't dare hope you've changed your mind. It's how we work. And you're not making it easy for us to feel the love. _

And right there, just like that, Jack believed him. Somehow Daniel... or a part of Daniel's spirit was inside his head. It was a horrible, freaking thought. But maybe in a way he had known for some time now... that Daniel had never truly left him. That he was still here, in some way.

"Will you be here? Just in case I'm about to screw it up again... " Jack asked softly, his voice barely more than a whisper. There were few things he hated more than admitting he needed help. It was the old inherited O'Neill stubbornness and pride combined with the hard learned lesson that pushing people away was easier than reaching out in the long run.

_I'm with you. As long as you need me to be._

"Thanks."

On day three of their journey Jack gazed into the slightly distorted display of stars in front of him, his hands steady on the helm control. "So, Cassie told me you can fly this baby?" he asked the kid standing next to him.

"I can. When I was big..."

"Wanna have a go at it?" Jack stepped aside.

"Really?" Daniel stared at him, doubt in his eyes.

"Sure. Show me your style."

"Oh, okay." He took Jack's place and put his hands on the helm, checking the controls and making some minor course corrections. Like a pro. "But I promised to play chess with Cassie in a bit."

"How's she doing?" Jack asked.

"She's impatient. Can't get home fast enough," Daniel replied.

Jack knew they had found the chess board – of all things – in one of the cargo boxes Kawalsky and Feretti had opened in the search for food and water and had given it to the kids.

Cassie was a little clingy and followed her mom around, but at the same time was utterly embarrassed about her attitude and tried to "make up" for it by being snippy and moody. The only ones being able to put a smile on her face were Janet and Sam. Everyone else tried to stay out of the girl's way.

"She's just in shock," Daniel had said this morning when Cassie had stomped out of a room because someone had dared to ask her how she felt. "It annoys her that she wants her mother to be with her all the time. If I still had a mother, I'd... want that too right now, I think. And I'd be embarrassed about it, too."

"She'll get help," Carter had said. "Once we're home again she'll be better."

At that point Daniel had given Jack a sharp look, silently asking if he had made a decision yet.

He hadn't. And he had three more days to make one.

In the meantime he tried to spend time with the boy. This wasn't a big ship and to Jack's relief Daniel didn't try very hard to avoid him. Daniel had given Jack a report of everything that happened during their time on that base. If he was still in some state of after-shock he was hiding it well. But then, Jack reminded himself, this Daniel had seen it all. So he probably wasn't too traumatized by the kidnapping. At least nobody had tortured or drugged the kids.

They had played Battleships the old fashioned way with pen and paper, had tried to cheer Cassie up and failed. They had their meals together and Daniel had shared with him if he never had to eat a MRE in his life he'd be very happy. Jack was wondering if the kid wouldn't miss MRE once he had lived on Abydos for a couple of years. But he wouldn't say it out loud. It would just evoke another discussion about Daniel's plans for the future.

"Jack?" Daniel's voice pulled him out of his brooding. "Do you want to take over again?"

"It's my turn," Carter, who had been standing next to Jack, said. "You're doing great though."

"Thanks." Daniel grinned as he made space for her. "I always thought it's fun to fly a space ship. It's something you don't usually learn as an archaeologist."

"You know," Sam said thoughtfully, "if you'd decide to come back to Earth with us, you could join the program one day and be back on a team. You could go to the academy, become a pilot. You already have your archaeological degrees. Even if you have to re-do them for the record, it won't take you a long time to legally get them back. You could try something new. And then you'd learn how to take off and land these babies... for example."

So he had told her about his plans? Jack raised a questioning eyebrow at the kid, who just shrugged and turned to Sam. "That would be cool, but I doubt I'll stay on Earth."

"That's a shame. You know, I'm gonna miss you. And I know I'm not the only one."

"I'm not him," Daniel said _quietly._

"Nobody said you have to be him," she replied softly.

"Hey, I'm hungry. How about some chocolate cookies?" Jack asked to fill the solemn silence that followed.

"There're chocolate cookies?" Daniel's eyes grew big.

"Yep, in the food supplies. Feretti found them yesterday."

"They never had chocolate cookies in that commissary when we had our meals," Daniel said with a typical ten-year-old pout.

"Are there any with chocolate chips?" Carter asked.

"Chocolate chips it is." Jack waved at them, gave Daniel a crooked smile and trudged out to find the cookies, hoping Feretti and Kawalsky had left enough for everyone else.

He'd feed the kid cookies and then find a way to talk to him. Somehow.

_Coward,_ adult Daniel admonished him mildly.

_Yeah, yeah_, Jack thought, feeling grouchy. He was about to ask a kid if he'd liked to be adopted by him, for crying out loud – that wasn't a piece of cake.


	6. Chapter 6 Finding Home

**Twisted Fate **

**Finding Home **

**1**

When Jack finally returned with the cookies he seemed to be in a bad mood. He just dropped off the boxes, muttered something about having to take a walk around the ship, and left.

Daniel and Sam shared a puzzled look and opened a box of cookies. "I'll see if Cassie wants some," Daniel said after a while. "She's probably already waiting for me."

He went searching for his friend and found her in their quarters. She was sitting cross-legged on her bed, working on a picture with a pencil. When he entered she looked up briefly and continued her drawing.

"I brought you some cookies," Daniel offered. "Ready for the game?"

"Thanks." She didn't look up again. "Do you feel like a caged tiger, too?" she asked abruptly.

"Um, no. But I know what you mean." He stepped next to her and looked at her picture. It was a dog. "That's good," he said.

"It's Doggy. I can't wait to see him again." She sighed and finally looked up. "I'm horrible, aren't I? I hate this ship, I hate the MRE stuff we still have to eat." She suddenly threw the pencil away. It hit the golden wall, snapped in two pieces and fell to the floor. "It's stupid. When everyone is fussing over me I want them to leave me alone and when I'm left alone I don't want to be alone."

He sat down next to her. "It's okay, Cass. You're just cranky. This was lots harder for you than it was for me."

"No, it wasn't. All I did was sit around, doing nothing." She shrugged. After a pause she said softly, "When everyone died... back on Hanka... when everyone was gone, my parents, my aunt and uncle, all my friends... That was scary. That was worse. When Sam came to rescue me, I thought she was an angel." Cassie laughed and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, going mental here. Anyway, this being kidnapped, it just made me angry. And it makes me mad that I can't just get over it now. But I had so much time to think, being alone in that stupid cell all day. I kept thinking of mom and Sam and how they'd worry and..."

"I was scared," Daniel admitted slowly.

She blinked. "You were?"

"Yeah. I was scared because I didn't know if they'd really come to rescue us. And because I thought Makepeace might kill us once they wouldn't need us anymore."

They were silent for a moment. Cassie's hand slipped in his and she squeezed it. "Me too," she whispered.

"But it's over now," Daniel said.

"I can't wait to be home again. Hey, maybe Jack is going to adopt you after all. Then you could stay in the Springs."

He turned away from her and carefully pulled his hand away. "Cassie..." He trailed off when something on his own bunk caught his eye. "What's that?"

"That? Oh, Uncle Jack put it there a while ago. Said it was for you."

Daniel frowned as he went over to examine the 12inch rubber doll sitting on his pillow. It looked almost like Thor. The doll had huge black eyes and Daniel could almost imagine it blinking at him. He picked it up and squeezed it. A deep voice said, "Greetings, Earthling."

Cassie, still sitting on her own bed, laughed. "Only Uncle Jack would think something cheesy like that is funny."

"Actually," Daniel said, fighting the grin spreading across his face, "I think it's funny, too. Sort of."

"You're both crazy," Cassie said matter of factly.

He found Jack in the section with the escape pods, next to the bridge. He was sitting on the floor with his back against one of the pods, doing nothing. Daniel stopped in front of him, hands behind his back.

"Hey, Jack," he said.

"Hey," Jack replied tiredly. "What's up?"

Daniel pulled his right hand from behind his back and held the doll out to Jack. The gray little alien figure nodded his head. "Where'd you get this?"

"Oh." Jack's eyebrows wandered upwards. "That." He waved a hand at the doll. "I got it in Nevada. You know, Area 51 crap. One of those 'I was there' souvenirs from a gas station." He grimaced. "I know it's cheesy. But it seemed to be a good idea at the time."

Daniel's eyes grew big. He had totally forgotten about the trip. "Nevada," he said. "What happened in Nevada? Did you see the artifacts?"

Jack nodded. "Yep. There was nothing unusual about the ribbon device. But that painting is giving our people a headache. Something seems to be sealed inside the frame or behind the canvas, but they can't open it. Doctor Lee said it'll blow up into their faces if they try to cut through the canvas."

"Wow," Daniel said. "Do they have any idea what it is?"

"Nope. Not that I know of. But I'm sure we'll get to hear whatever they figure out." Jack pointed at the rubber doll with his chin. "I know that's a stupid gift. Sorry."

"I like it," Daniel said. "I had one of those... at home."

Jack squinted up at him. "You did?"

"Yeah. Jack thought it was hilarious and got it for me shortly after I was downsized. I didn't appreciate it much at the time." He sat down lotus-style across from Jack. "But... it's funny you bought the same thing. For me."

"Go figure. Something I actually did right then." Jack gave him a lopsided smile.

"Why? Why did you carry it around with you all that time. You could've just given it to me later." Daniel was really curious about that. It was nice that Jack had gotten him a gift from Nevada. But why would he take it with him on a rescue mission?

"I wanted the company," Jack said with a smirk. But then he sobered and continued. "I've had it sitting on my desk since I got back from Nevada and found out you kids had been kidnapped. I showed it to Frasier and she said you probably wouldn't be impressed. But when we finally heard from you, I... just felt like bringing it with me. I thought you might get a laugh outta it. Or maybe I thought it'd bring me luck."

"Luck?"

"To find you alive. So I could still give it to you," Jack said in an oddly hoarse voice. "When I came back from Nevada I had made up my mind. I was going to ask you to stay... and then you were gone. For a while there the chances of finding you were very slim."

"I don't... I don't understand. You never wanted me to stay before. You were going to send me to that boarding school..." He trailed off, thinking he might just suffocate on his words.

"And who exactly told you about that boarding school?" Jack asked sharply, his eyes narrowing.

Daniel pursed his lips. "Um, Kershaw did. Apparently Grieves overheard you talking to the general."

"Kershaw and Grieves, huh?" For a moment Jack looked utterly annoyed. Then he pressed his fingertips against his temples as if he was getting a headache. "Oy. I realize I haven't exactly been Mister Nice Guy, Daniel. But if you really believe anything that... that... "

"Bitch," Daniel provided helpfully.

"Thank you." Jack snorted. "If you really believe anything that bitch tells you, I must've been even more obnoxious than I thought I was."

Daniel didn't know what to say. He sat on the floor, absently playing with the doll, and gazed at his knees. When Kershaw had told him about the boarding school it had fit so perfectly. Before he'd gone to Nevada Jack had been very sketchy about Daniel's future and he'd hinted at Hammond's refusal to let Daniel work on base. What else was he supposed to believe?

"Look," Jack said after a moment of awkward silence. "I might not be the perfect guy your Jack was..."

"He wasn't perfect," Daniel mumbled. "He was just... He just... I think he loved me. Like his kid. And we were best friends before... the... you know... " Suddenly there was an ache in Daniel's chest and he had to take a deep breath. "And I miss him very much."

"I care," Jack said quietly. "I'll never pretend to be him. Or to take his place. I'm probably just a bad copy... but I do care about you. I can't force you to stay with me, I know that. But I'd like you to give it a try."

His heart squeezed painfully as he tried to process what exactly Jack was telling him. Licking his lips, Daniel slowly looked up into Jack's brown eyes. Warm and deep. "You would let me go though? To Abydos?" he asked.

"Yeah. If that's what you really want."

"But you want me to... stay?"

"I want you to stay," Jack said. "I can't tell you how exactly that'll work out if I go back into the field. And there's still the issue of where you'd stay while I'm gone... I won't make anymore promises I probably can't keep. But yeah, I want you to stay. And we'll figure out the details as we go."

"And... you're not saying this because you feel guilty about sending me away? Or... or because you think it's your duty to... take me? Or because Janet thinks you should? Don't you think you might regret it if you take me home?" Flushing with embarrassment about the outburst of questions, Daniel ducked his head again. Maybe that's exactly why Jack was offering him a home? Out of guilt?

He forced his hands together in his lap, twining his fingers around the Thor doll, so he wouldn't do the self hugging. But he wished he could run out the door so he didn't have to hear the answer to his questions. He wasn't sure he wanted to hear it. But he needed to. "If you're feeling sorry for me, please don't. I'm gonna be fine."

"I'm not feeling sorry for you. I guess you can handle whatever life throws at you. It's a Daniel Jackson trait. One I always admired in my... other Daniel, too."

"But... " Daniel bit his tongue, cursing his inability to stop asking questions even when he knew he probably should.

"I spent a long time feeling sorry for myself. And I guess it's time to quit running and face a few truths. You made me take a good look at myself. And I didn't like what I saw very much."

"Sorry," Daniel mumbled, remembering Jack's outburst after they had come home from the hospital.

"Forget it. You were right."

They fell silent again. The low vibration of the Tel'tak's engines was like a soothing subliminal humming.

"So..." Jack finally said. "I know I'm cranky and irritable. And that probably won't change over night, but..."

"I'll think about it," Daniel cut him off. He didn't know what to say. He had focused on a life on Abydos as something that was going to happen. He had refused to wish for a home with Jack. He wasn't even sure he really WANTED to go home with this Jack. Or was he? Wouldn't he always subconsciously try to compare this Jack to his own?

"I guess that's all I can ask for," Jack said.

Behind Daniel the door swished open. He turned to see who had come in, but the entrance was empty.

When he turned back to Jack, he saw the brown eyes widen for a fraction, then Daniel was pushed to the ground so hard, he hit his head. When he turned on his back, Jack seemed to be air wrestling. There were grunts and curses and Jack was flung across the room, crashing against one of the escape pods. He was back on his feet in an instant, hollering at Daniel to get out of the line of fire.

Because Jack and his invisible attacker were between him and the door, Daniel crawled backwards until he was in a corner next to the escape pods. He tried to see a trace of the invisible attacker, but no matter how hard he looked, all he could see was Jack and the otherwise empty room.

Jack pulled a zat from his belt and started firing randomly at the walls. He had his back to the door now so their enemy wouldn't be able to leave the room again. A knife came flying from somewhere and Daniel let out a warning yell, but Jack ducked, dove away and fired the zat in the direction the knife had come from.

Nothing happened. No sound of a body hitting the floor.

Jack slapped his radio. "Carter! I need a TER in the escape pod bay."

Daniel felt a movement next to him, like a shift of air, then he was yanked to his feet and a strong arm wound itself around his chest.

Dèjà vu.

"Get out of here and close the door, O'Neill," a cold voice said next to Daniel's ear.

"I don't think so," Jack snapped, aiming the zat directly at Daniel and his invisible attacker.

"I want you to jump out of hyper space so I can use one of the escape pods. I have a gun aimed at the kid's head."

Daniel waited for the familiar pressure of having a weapon held to his neck or temple, but it never happened. "He's lying! He doesn't have a gun! Zat him," he yelled, wriggling and squirming in the tight grip the man had on him. "Go ahead! Zat him!"

"Show yourself," Jack snarled, ignoring Daniel.

"No. If you want to zat me you have to zat both of us. And do you know how zatting affects kids? Such small bodies... Get out of here. I'll let the boy go as soon as you've left."

"Don't listen to him! I'll be fine!" Daniel kicked backwards and felt something give away under his boot. So he did it again. Daniel felt the arm around his chest loosen. But only for a moment, then he was grabbed even more tightly.

Jack was standing there like an immovable object, the zat in his hand not wavering, but not firing either. What was taking him so long? Daniel would get over a bit of pain. He'd been zatted a lot in his life...

The door opened and Sam burst in.

Jack lowered the zat and whipped out a handgun from his leg holster. "He's got Daniel!"

Sam aimed the TER at Daniel and he could see the arm around his chest become visible. Suddenly he was free. Someone yelled at him to duck and he fell to his knees, covering his head with his arms. There was a loud bang mingled with a scream, then Grieve's body dropped to the floor next to him.

Daniel stumbled to his feet and across the room.

Someone caught him and held him tight.

Someone else was screaming bloody murder, cursing and whimpering.

Then Jack's voice. "Shut the hell up, Grieves!"

"You son of a bitch! You think you won? You'll never find Colonel Makepeace. He's already on the new base and will continue our work! Even if it means we have to start from scratch!"

"Get Fraiser in here," Jack ordered, disgust lacing his voice. "He's bleeding all over my ship."

Sam said, "Nice shot, sir." Then the door opened and closed again.

Daniel, wrapped securely inside Jack's arm, looked back over his shoulder at Grieves lying on the floor, holding his bleeding shoulder.

"I'll stay with him until Janet is here," Sam said grimly.

"She better hurry or I'll be fucking dead!" Grieves crept backwards, glaring at Sam furiously.

"Shut up, Grieves," Sam said coldly. "Where did you want to go anyway in this escape pod?"

Grieves's mouth was pressed into a thin line as he apparently decided to remain silent.

"When the doc is done with him, lock him up in one of the empty quarters." Jack gave Daniel a little squeeze. "C'me on. He'll live."

Janet rushed past them with her medical bag as they made their way to the bridge.

"What happened?" Kawalsky lowered his gun. Lou put the TER down. They had waited on the bridge in case Grieves had escaped.

"Grieves was hiding somewhere, cloaked. I only noticed because the door opened and no one came in. I guess his original plan was to wait until we reached the planet and ring down with us. He could've used the gate after we were gone. But when he realized I knew he was there, he wanted to make a run for it in the escape pods," Jack said, his arm still around Daniel's shoulders. He clicked his radio. "Mitchell, Jefferson, I want you to sweep the cargo bays again for intruders. Take TER's and open every box big enough to hide a man in it."

"Crap. We checked every area on this ship. We used this thing!" Feretti pointed at the TER. "Sorry, sir. I don't know how we missed him."

"For all we know he might have been hiding in one of the cargo boxes," Jack said as he gently pushed Daniel to sit in the commander's chair. "Don't fret over it, Lou. It's over."

When Daniel's legs stopped being wobbly and his tongue seemed to work again, he looked up at Jack. "Why didn't you zat him? You could have!"

"I knew Carter would be there any second. When he turned visible, he let go of you to reach for his gun. I had a good angle to shoot him without hurting you."

"Makepeace still got away," Daniel said gloomy.

"Yeah. And so did Maybourne," Jack grumbled.

"Really? How?"

"Someone must have warned him. He'd probably planned his escape for quite some time. Those guys took a big risk when they kidnapped you and I'm sure they had a fail safe plan all along in case they got caught. So maybe the relocation had been planned as well. They just didn't think we'd get to them this quickly."

"We damaged them, right? They couldn't take the Tel'tak and we have all their data and most of their scientists now."

"Yeahsureyabetcha. And we'll find Maybourne and Makepeace too." Jack brushed back Daniel's bangs. "About time we get home. Someone needs a bath real bad."

Daniel snorted. "I'm not the only one. You're smelly, too."

"Who, me?" Jack sniffed his own jacket and wrinkled his nose. "And I thought that was _you_."

"We could all use a shower. I always wondered why there wasn't one on board these ships. Do Goa'uld, Tok'ra and Jaffa never wash?" Kawalsky scratched his hair and grimaced.

"There're bathrooms though," Lou said. "Just no showers. Weird."

"The Tok'ra and Goa'uld don't shower. They take baths. Usually with essential oils. And the Goa'uld have slaves to dry and dress them afterward. Jaffa bath too if they can, at home. The first primes even have hot tubs in their houses. In the field Jaffa wash in any water they find. Lakes, waterfalls, rivers... they don't care about hot or cold," Daniel provided. "There're no tubs on the Tel'taks, only sinks." When everyone stared at him, he shrugged and blushed. "That's, ah, cultural knowledge. Domestic stuff. The... the big ships, the mother ships, they do have tubs installed in the private quarters."

"There you go. Our very own domestic Goa'uld expert," Jack said in the following silence.

"Way to go DJ," Kawalsky grinned and they all laughed.

It was a freeing laughter, Daniel thought as he laughed with them. The way you think every thing is just hilarious after you've been through a tense situation and the stress falls away, making space for relief.

Janet and Sam joined them after a while. "Grieves is stable. No life threatening injuries," Janet reported. "He shouldn't be moved until the bleeding stops entirely, but he's good for now."

Jack grimaced. "Good. Is he ready to answer a couple of questions?"

"I gave him a sedative against the pain. I'll let you know when he's awake enough to talk." She stepped forward and handed Daniel the rubber Thor doll. "I believe this is yours?"

"Oh, I lost it when Grieves attacked us, thank you." Daniel took the doll and held it in both hands. "Jack brought it for me. From Nevada," he said as if it was the most important thing to mention.

"It's cute," Sam smiled. "Looks like Thor."

"Squeeze it," Jack said, and with a smug look at Janet added, "He liked it."

"Greetings, Earthling," Thor said sincerely and everyone started laughing again.

Jack crossed his arms over his chest. "What?! He likes it." He glared at Daniel. "You like it, right? Tell them."

Daniel chuckled. "I like it," he said loudly.

And he did.

**2**

"O'Neill." Teal'c's voice sounded like sandpaper. He sat up and swung his legs over the bunk. "Have we reached our destination?"

"Yeah. How ya feeling?" Jack eyed his friend worriedly. Teal'c had regained consciousness last night and had drifted in and out of it ever since.

"I am in need of a new symbiote," the Jaffa said.

"I know. We're going to Chulak to get one. Don't worry about it." They had made the decision this morning in a briefing. It was going to be a hell of a risk, but one they all decided they had to take.

Teal'c bowed his head. "There is not much time. My prim'ta is dying. If Bra'tac is currently on Chulak he will be in one of the rebel camps outside of the city. There are three camps I know." Teal'c gave him directions and Jack pocketed them away in the 'access later' part of his mind. "Bra'tac or one of his men will lead you to the temple."

"Yep. And you're going back to the SGC with the doc and the kids. She's determined to keep an eye on you. But we'll be back as soon as we can."

To his surprise Teal'c didn't demand to join them. He gave a curt nod. "I would be a burden to you in my condition." A flicker of hate, so deep it made Jack back off a little, crossed the man's deep dark eyes. "One day we will find Makepeace and Maybourne. Then they will pay for what they have done."

Great. Another Jaffa revenge thing. Jack refrained from commenting and just clapped the big guy's back. "Ready?"

"I am ready to leave."

A glaring yellow sun greeted them on the planet. It was hot and humid and the path to the

gate was overgrown with vines and other green leafy plants.

Grieves, hands zip-tied behind his back, complained about the heat, the too long walk from the ship to the gate, his painful wound... Jack was ready to put him out of his misery when they finally saw the gate looming in front of them. The man did nothing but whine. Until someone tried to get valid information out of him. Then he turned mute as a fish. And Jack had tried everything short of beating the crap out of him.

"Hey, Jack?" Daniel caught up to him. "Do you think Teal'c will be okay once he has the new prim'ta?"

"I wish I knew, kiddo. It's the only chance he has."

"They tortured him. They... did experiments on him. I overheard two of the doctors. They said they tried out every virus they could think off on him. They wanted to know how much a symbiote can take. And they wanted to find a way to make a mature symbiote release its poison into Teal'c so they could separate the poison and use it as a weapon or drug. At least that's what I think they wanted to do."

"Those rat bastards," Jack snarled.

In the hours he'd been conscious, on their way back to Earth, Teal'c hadn't been ready to talk about his ordeal, and Jack hadn't believed pestering his friend for details was a good idea.

"Jack?" Daniel's low voice sounded very young as he repeated his question even more urgently. "Teal'c will be okay, right?"

"I don't know, Daniel," he said curtly. What was he? A Doctor? All they could hope was that a new junior would do the trick.

"I'm sorry," Daniel whispered, moving away from Jack and wrapping his arms around his skinny chest. "I know you can't know."

Jack closed his eyes briefly at the sight of such misery. So much like adult Daniel. A Daniel from the first year they'd spent together on SG-1. Stubborn and firm in his beliefs and passions, yet so vulnerable. Being a kid again probably brought back some of big Daniel's fears and demons. Or maybe this Daniel had never gotten rid of them in the first place, Jack didn't know. All he knew was that he had snapped at the kid and – again – pushed him away.

He reached out and gently laid his fingertips against a stiff shoulder, putting just enough pressure into the touch to make Daniel look up. "No, not stupid. I want him to be okay, too."

"I'm just so..." Daniel ground out.

"Worried. Yeah, me, too." He slid an arm around the boy and Daniel melted into the hug. Jack held him for a moment, feeling the small, tense body relax slightly. "C'mon. We're almost there, kiddo."

Daniel gave Jack an assessing look. "I don't suppose you'd take me with you?"

"Uh, that would be no and it isn't open for negotiation," Jack said. "But you can keep T company while he's waiting for us to get back."

"Okay. I'd like that."

Teal'c gave Jack a gloomy look while Mitchell dialed home. "I am in your debt once again, O'Neill." He then put a large hand on Daniel's head. "And in yours, DanielJackson."

Daniel blushed and shrugged. "What'd I do?"

"You and Major Carter were the only real chance I had of escaping my prison. I am looking forward to getting to know you, young Daniel."

Jack waited for the kid to say something about Abydos. But Daniel looked up at Teal'c with bright, sincere blue eyes. "Yes. Me, too, Teal'c."

The gate wooshed open and when Carter sent their GDO signal, Jack addressed Daniel. "Don't stay up all night. I want you to have dinner and get some sleep eventually."

"I'm fine," Daniel repeated.

"That wasn't a request. The doc will make sure one of the nurses is keeping an eye on you while I'm gone."

"Yes, _sir_," Daniel said with a sigh. Then his eyes darkened as they locked with Jack's. "Good luck."

Jack tousled the kid's blond mop of hair, then watched him as he followed Mitchell, Fraiser, Cassie and Teal'c through the gate. Meyers and Jefferson went after them. He waited until it had shut down again, then ordered Carter to dial Chulak.

It was bitingly cold and windy when they came through. Kawalski grimaced and rubbed his hands. "Why can't it be summer here, too?"

"Wimp," Lou said in a friendly manner. Both men were on alert despite their bantering. Chulak was a dangerous place, even after Apophis had abandoned the planet as his headquarters. Rebel Jaffa and those who were still loyal to the Goa'uld fought among themselves and while the rebels had forged a loose alliance with the Tau'ri, one never knew who was friend or foe until they either welcomed you or tried to kill you.

Only four Jaffa warriors were running towards them, leaving the forest they had taken cover in. They immediately opened fire, but Jack, Carter and Kawalsky took them out quickly.

Jack flicked out his binoculars and scanned the treeline. No one seemed to be hiding back there, which was good. Carter stepped up next to him. "No more guards," she murmured.

"Yeah. Could be hiding in the forest though." Jack lowered the binoculars. "All right, kids, let's move out." He took the lead and they made a fast run for the trees to get out of open terrain.

Covered by trees and bushes they regrouped. "Bra'tac is supposed to be in a camp close to the gate," Jack said, remembering what Teal'c had told him. "Why aren't there more guards?"

"Maybe they're all at home waiting for Santa," Kawalsky grumbled. "Frigging cold."

"Santa? I don't even want to know what Jaffa Santa looks like," Carter groused.

Even Jack had to grin at that one.

"There," Lou hissed and they all followed his gaze to the gate. A warrior stepped out of the trees on the other side of the clearing. Jack adjusted his binoculars. A young, fair skinned man, his staff weapon open and ready to shoot.

"You think it's one of Bra'tac's people?" Carter asked.

"Let's ask him. Cover my six," Jack said curtly and left them to make his way through the woods, so he could sneak up on the man from behind. That was easier said than done. All Jaffa were formidable warriors and it wasn't easy to surprise them. But this kid seemed to be too focused on watching the clearing and Jack's sneaking skills were excellent.

The guy didn't make a sound when Jack headlocked him. "Lower your weapon. Nice and easy," he snapped.

"You are O'Neill," the kid hastened to say as he let go of his weapon. "Of the Tau'ri."

"What's your name?"

"Rag'der. I am with Master Bra'tac. Do you wish to see him?"

Jack used his free hand to slap his radio. "Carter - he says he's one of Bra'tac's."

"Roger that, sir. We're on our way."

Jack let go of Rag'der, but had his P90 aimed at him before the young man could lunge for his staff.

"I cannot leave my weapon here," the Jaffa said indignantly. "You are insulting my honor if you believe that I did not hear or see you approaching me. The only reason I did not kill you is that you are our allies and Master Bra'tac considers you a personal friend."

"Right," Jack said. "Let's not rush this though. Is Bra'tac on the planet?"

"Yes. In one of our camps. I was on my way to the feast in the city when I heard the chaapa'ai open. You are fortunate – the gate is not heavily guarded today because of the feast."

He kept his gun aimed at the guy until Carter and the rest of his team joined them. Then he pointed at the Jaffa's staff. "Pick it up. But don't get any ideas."

"I will not." Rag'der took his staff and jerked his head to his left. "This way. Follow me."

After thirty minutes of fast walking they reached a small camp made up from four tents. "This is the camp nearest to the chaapa'ai," Rag'der explained. "Master Bra'tac is in here." With that he pointed to one of the tents, spun on his heel and stalked off to attend some exercise in a training ring.

"Thanks," Jack yelled after the kid. "Nice welcome."

"Sir," Carter said with mild reprimand in her voice.

"What?" Jack asked back, raising an eyebrow. But playing the 'what' game wasn't funny with anyone but Daniel, so he entered the tent. Bra'tac and two young Jaffa were sitting around a fireplace. The old warrior smiled broadly at the newcomers and rose to his feet. "O'Neill!"

"Bra'tac." They clasped their arms and then Bra'tack greeted Carter, Feretti and Kawalsky before he turned to his young students and dismissed them.

"What is it I can do for you, my friends?" Bra'tac asked, inviting them all to sit at the fire.

But Jack shook his head and said, "I'm afraid we don't have much time. It's Teal'c."

Bra'tac's eyes turned dark. "I noticed he is not with you. What is it?"

When Jack and Carter had clued him in, Bra'tac immediately went to the back of his tent and picked up his staff. "Ever since Apophis left Chulak, prim'tas are only bred for the sake of our lives. Most of the priests who are still here refuse to help us." Bra'tack barked a bitter laugh. "They are still waiting for Apophis to return, or for Klorel to take over and be our new god. They do not tell us where to find their queen."

"Wait... Their queen? I thought Amaunet was their queen?" Carter piped up. "But she's dead."

"Amaunet was Apophis's queen, yes. But she never spawned prim'tas. She only gave birth to the Harsisis child. There is another queen, kept in a temple somewhere, that will spawn young ones twice a year. The priests take those prim'tas to the Jaffa worlds so that they can be implanted into us. We do not know where this queen is and if we never find out, the Jaffa will have to find another way to sustain their lives without being dependent on the priests."

"Question is – are there prim'tas on Chulak currently?" Carter asked.

"Indeed. But it is not allowed to take one without permission from the priest's high council, so we have to be quick and break into the temple. The only other way to find one is to kill a Jaffa."

"Well, let's try the temple first," Jack said with a grimace.

"Very well. Follow me. First you must dress in more suitable attire though." Bra'tac led them into another tent and handed them old _gunny_ robes. "Hide your faces under the hoods."

If anything, the robes added extra warmth, which wasn't bad, even though they had a donkey odor. Disguised as civilian Jaffa, they followed Bra'tac through the woods until they could see the high dark walls surrounding the City of Chulak.

"We will go through the main gate," Bra'tac explained. "Nobody should pay attention to us. It is the feast of harvest tonight. Many Jaffa from all over will attend it."

"A feast of harvest?" Lou asked curious. "Like Thanksgiving?"

"I do not know Thanksgiving," the old Jaffa said lightly. "The harvest feast used to be held in honor of Apophis. All Jaffa families who worked in the fields gathered at this time of year to bring sacrifices and offerings to their god so that he would bring them a good harvest for the following year and to thank him for giving a good harvest the past year. Now it is different. There will be no sacrifices, nor offerings. Only celebrating that there has been a good harvest." A triumphant grin crossed Bra'ta's scarred face. "A small step in gaining our freedom. Little rituals change. It is a good start."

They entered the city through the main gate among a flow of other Jaffa who were here for the upcoming feast. Nobody gave them a second look. The narrow alleys and bigger roads were full of people: men, women and children who stood together in groups or sauntered past the many booths offering fruit and hot meals. It was like a huge fair. Some farmers offered live stock, others offered icky looking vegetables, and something that looked like purple potatoes.

Bra'tac led them through the maze of streets until they reached the center of the city where the former palace of Apophis stood looming against the frosty winter sky. The temple was part of the complex. Jack remembered being here with Carter and Daniel when they first set foot on Chulak, searching for Sha're and Skaara. God, that had been only five years ago. Yet, it seemed like a lifetime away.

They rounded a corner and Bra'tac held up a hand to stop them. "I will see who is guarding the temple today. You stay here," he ordered.

They watched him go. Somewhere a horn was blown, a long deep tone, carrying across the city and the mountains. Another horn answered in a higher register. Feeling slightly concerned, Jack let his eyes wander through the groups of people. Nobody looked alarmed or puzzled. Must be part of the celebrations then. Damn, he wished Teal'c or Daniel were here to explain Chulakian customs to them. But not even the Daniel in his head seemed to feel obligated to reveal the mysteries of the horn blowers. Several other horns had joined in with the tune. It was a melancholic sequence of notes. People started to move away from the temple, probably to gather someplace else for whatever they did to celebrate harvests. Jack doubted there'd be turkey.

Bra'tac returned. "It is safe to go in."

Silently they passed the two Jaffa guarding the entrance to the temple. Both of them bowed their heads in respect to Bra'tac and let them pass. They hurried through a ceremonial hall. Jack recognized the long table he, Daniel and Sam had been sitting at on their very first Chulak mission. It had been laden with food and wine then. Now it was empty apart from some lonely flower bouquets.

"Festivities do not take place here any longer," Bra'tac explained as if he was expecting them to ask why the temple was not used for the harvest feast. "This is not a place of worship anymore for most of our brothers and sisters."

They entered a small round room dominated by a tank filled with larva Goa'uld. Jack and Kawalski exchanged a shuddering look as Carter fumbled out the small container from under her robes and stepped up next to the Jaffa Master.

"Before Daniel Jackson destroyed one of the prim'ta tanks, they were kept outside," Bra'tac said with a smirk. "Stealing a Goa'uld or destroying the tank was sacrilege. No one would have ever dared think of it."

"Only Daniel," Carster said with a sad smile.

"He was very bold and cunning in his own ways," Bra'tac agreed. He pointed at one of the larval snakes. "Take this one. It is old enough to be implanted into a pouch."

Together they opened the tank, while Jack, Lou and Kawalski guarded the two doors leading from the room.

"Hurry," Lou hissed. "Someone's coming."

Heavy footsteps echoed through the corridors outside.

"I've got it," Carter said as she stuffed the snake into her container. Jack had never seen her so grossed out before. She closed the lid and wiped her hand on her pants.

Both doors to the tank room burst open as four priests accompanied by three Jaffa stormed in. Jack raised his P90 from underneath his robe and fired as the first staff blast zipped past him and hit the wall on the other side of the tank. "Careful," he snarled. "You might blow up your precious babies!"

"Shol'va!" one of the Jaffa spat at him before he went down in the shower of bullets from Jack and Feretti's guns.

"We have been deceived!" Bra'tac swung his weapon and knocked the one closest to him out, then hit another one into the stomach before he started firing at the priests.

They re-treated, using the Goa'uld tank as a buffer. But it was a small room with too many people firing weapons at each other and the next thing Jack felt was water splashing into his face, pieces of splintered glass flying through the room like deadly arrows, and the cries of larva Goa'uld hitting the ground and walls with an ugly splattering noise.

"Fall back! Fall back," Jack yelled into the chaos of Jaffa and upset priests trying to save the wriggling, crying snakes.

They made it through one of the doors by knocking out two more men and hastened through the corridor, back into the ceremonial room. It was there that Jack's right leg gave out under him and he stumbled against the wall.

"What the f..." he ground out as blinding agony shot through his thigh and down into his ankle.

"Colonel!" Feretti was at his side in a flash, grabbing his arm and pulling him towards the entrance. They stumbled out into the cold air. The sky was orange from the impressive sunset and nobody paid attention to them as they pulled Jack down the steps and half walked, half carried him into a deserted alley.

Carter pushed back the hood of her robe and bent over him. "There's a piece of glass stuck to your thigh," she said.

Jack looked down at what appeared to be a long, finger-thick chunk of glass in his thigh. There wasn't much blood around the entry wound, but the pain made it impossible for him to walk. "Crap," he hissed. "Can you pull it out?"

"If it hit an artery you could bleed to death by pulling it," she said.

"I can't move," he snapped at her.

"I'm sorry, sir, but if it hit the femoral artery you could bleed to death in less than three minutes if I pull it. I'm going to fix it with first aid dressings so it won't move inside your leg or fall out on its own. Right now that's all I can do." She began to work quickly, causing him to grit his teeth and throw back his head when she put pressure dressings around his leg, packing it tightly so the glass dagger was immobilized.

"It must have gone in like through butter and you didn't even notice. There's no way to tell how deep it's in," she muttered.

"Can you... just... be DONE?!"

"I'm done, sir." She sat back on her haunches and eyed her handiwork. "This should do it. Try and see if you can stand."

Lou and Kawalsky helped Jack to his feet. He allowed them to take his weight as they hobbled down the alley.

"No one is following us," Carter addressed Bra'tac. "I wonder why?"

"It is of the utmost importance to rescue the prim'tas. On Chulak it's the one thing that gives Klorel's and Apophis's priests power over the people. We and our children need them to survive. If we are not implanted with a prim'ta at a certain age, we will die. Many of our brothers and sisters are too afraid to join the rebels because they fear their children might die without the prim'ta. Those Jaffa and priests know that. They cannot allow the prim'tas to be killed if they want to sustain order until Klorel or Apophis return."

"Bullshit," Jack ground out. "They're both dead." And Skaara was safe and sound on Abydos. At least something they'd done right.

"Belief is a strong fuel," Bra'tac said simply.

They made it out of the city and deep into the woods before Kawalsky and Feretti put Jack down for a rest. Carter tended to his injury and made sure the dressings were still tight enough.

"We're too slow," Jack said as he leaned against a tree, trying to ignore the fact he'd soon freeze his ass off on the hard cold ground. His thigh pounded and the pain crawled down his leg into his ankle. He swallowed the painkillers Carter handed him, took a couple of deep breaths and briefly closed his eyes. "You have to get that symbiote back to the SGC, Carter."

"We're not leaving you here," Kawalsky said grimly. He stamped his feet to keep warm.

"O'Neill is right. You have to hurry," Bra'tac urged them. "Teal'c needs the prim'ta or he will die. Leave him to me. I will take care of him and send him back as soon as it's safe."

"You can't walk with the glass stuck in your leg, sir," Carter warned. "If it moves or comes out..."

"Get to the gate. If it's clear, send Feretti through with the symbiote and come back for me," Jack said impatiently. "We'll stay here."

"Don't move around too much," she said.

"I'm not going anywhere. GO!"

Feretti clapped his shoulder and Kawalsky gave him a sloppy salute. "See you soon, Jack. Don't fall asleep. This isn't a picnic."

Jack snorted and tried to get comfortable as he watched them vanish between the dense trees.

"I will get fire wood," Bra'tac said. "You have to stay warm."

"No kidding," Jack muttered, shivering. He was cold, but his leg felt hot and pulsing. What a stupid way to get hit.

"Jack!"

Jack blinked and frowned at the figure crouching in front of him on the forest ground. "What the..."

"I know I said you couldn't see me," Daniel said enthusiastically. "I just discovered I can do this myself. On that planet... where the kids were held... I managed to talk to Daniel. Only briefly, but it was the first time I was able to DO something outside your stubborn head. So I figured I'd try something new now." The grin that had hovered on his face, slowly vanished. "It seems to take a lot of energy though. I doubt I can do this very often."

"Hey," Jack whispered, trying not to let his teeth clatter from the frost biting air. There wasn't much that mesmerized him anymore, but this... this was... "You're glowing," he informed Daniel after another moment of just looking.

"Yes, because I'm energy. I don't have a real body, remember? I'm dead."

"Ah... yeah. So, you're a ghost?"

"No, no, I don't think so. Or maybe I am. I am the Akh, the combined life forces of my soul. Ba and Ka. But that's a long story..." Daniel bent to examine the injury and Jack could actually see his leg and the heavily dressed wound with the piece of glass shining through his friend's body. He reached out a tentative hand to touch and gaped at the sight of his hand sinking into Daniel like he was nothing but air. Except there was a slight tingling of Jack's skin, running up his arm and spreading out into his whole body. It felt good. And warm.

Holy buckets.

"How are you doing this?" Jack had to ask.

"I don't know. On that other planet I felt the kid needed my help, and I was able to talk to him..."

"Wait... you talked to the kid? And he heard you?"

"Yes. I think Cassie heard me too."

"How... "

"I don't know how." Daniel sounded frustrated. "Now, I felt you're hurt and I wanted to help. So I concentrated and here I am. I'm just not sure what to do now," Daniel said. His non corporal hands touched Jack's thigh and he hissed in pain as a jolt of something shot through it. "Daniel..."

"I'm sorry." Daniel looked puzzled. "I don't think I can do anything for you, Jack. I don't have healing abilities or anything. I'm just..."

"Here," Jack said, and for a moment his leg wasn't important. Neither was the biting cold seeping through every nerve and cell in his body. The pain seemed to back off to make space for other feelings. "You're here. I can see you."

"Yeah, and what good does that do you?" Daniel said bitterly.

"Warm me." The words were out before he knew he was saying them. Swallowing, Jack continued. "When I touched you, it felt warm. And I'm damn cold. Bra'tac's gone for firewood, I don't know what's taking him so long, but you could..."

"Oh," Daniel looked up, his face bathed in the golden glow engulfing his whole being. He was wearing a white knitted sweater and cream colored pants. Jack remembered the shirt and pants... remembered how he'd thought Daniel looked incredibly hot wearing them. "I'm just figuring all this out myself. When you get back, ask Daniel to read up everything he can find about the stone of Akh. It should be in the files I took from Imhotep's library. I read it when I showed you the statue, remember? But maybe I missed something important."

"Stone of Akh," Jack mumbled. "Okay."

Then Daniel was there, his arms wrapping around Jack, his face pressing against Jack's cold stubbly cheek. The tingling feeling spread out all over Jack's skin and sank into his stiff body. His head lolled back against the tree he was leaning on and he closed his eyes. "I never thought this was gonna happen," he murmured.

"What?"

"You're practically in my lap, Daniel."

"This might come as a shock to you, Jack, but I've been inside you for most of the time over the last year." There was a chuckle and then the warmth began to fill Jack completely until no coldness was left in his body or heart.

Processing what Daniel just said was difficult. Grasping a coherent thought at all was hard. Jack wanted to let go and wallow in the sensations Daniel was giving him for as long as possible. But there was something about what Daniel had said... Something Jack had known for some time now, but never dared to analyze.

Daniel had been there. All this time. In Jack's head.

Anger flared up, as hot as the energy Daniel was giving him. He tried to struggle away, to jump to his feet, to pace and yell. Daniel pulled back from him. "What?"

"You were there all the fucking time!"

"Jack..."

"Don't _Jack_ me..." He struggled against the soothing calm and finally Daniel broke free of him and stood, arms crossed over his chest. Jack remembered in time he couldn't stand without the risk of moving the glass dagger. But he welcomed the returning cold. It cleared his mind. "You were right here!" Jack tipped a hand against his head. "And you couldn't have said anything? You couldn't have..." Suddenly the words got stuck in his throat.

All those times when he had missed Daniel so much it hurt. All those times he'd wished he could have one last chance to tell him how he felt. All those times... And then Jack remembered what Daniel had told him in the cargo bay on the Tel'tak.

_I can see it all now. Underneath all those layers of denial, military bravado, the loneliness, anger and snarkiness... I can see you. Who you really are. _

"You knew," Jack spat. "You knew and you didn't bother to give me a clue you were there. I thought I was going nuts, hearing your voice. I thought you were just a part of my subconscious."

"I'm sorry, Jack," Daniel said softly. "I would have let you know I was there earlier. But it took me some time to figure out where I actually was. WHAT I actually am. I'm still not sure about that, yet. It's..." he sighed, "complicated. It was like seeing the world through your eyes for a while. And then I just... seemed to drift in... space. Or something." He opened his arms in a universal gesture. "And it's not easy to get through to you, by the way. You are one stubborn son of a bitch. Your mental defenses are so strong, I felt like I was caged in a corner of your mind for so long with no... no way of letting you know."

The rage, coiling like a venomous snake in his gut a moment ago, fell away from Jack the moment he saw Daniel's sad, deep eyes and heard the agony in his voice. A distant part of his mind registered how good it was to hear that voice again. Not only in his head, but for real. Jack let his head fall back against the bark of the tree.

"Things began to change when Daniel came," Daniel said quietly. He sat next to Jack. A little bit of the warmth returned with Daniel being so close. "Maybe some of his life force jumped over to me. Or maybe your defenses were lowered little by little through him. All I know is that it became easier to talk to you, but I'm still not sure how this all works, or what I have to do to actually make myself heard. Sometimes you hear me, sometimes you don't."

"You need a manual," Jack said flatly.

"I wish I had one, yes. One thing I know is that I can't force you to do things. I don't have that kind of power. I wanted you to find Imhotep's files and read through them for me, but it didn't work."

"That's a good thing. I don't want to be anyone's marionette. Not even yours."

"I'd never abuse you..."

"I know. You're stronger now though, aren't you? Talking to me, leaving my body, showing yourself..." Jack waved a tired hand at Daniel's figure next to him. "What's up with that?"

"I'm not sure. But it's draining me." He turned to face Jack. "I have to return soon. I need to rest."

"You said you'll be with me until I'm ready to let you go," Jack said, swallowing around a lump in his throat.

"Yes." Daniel's appearance began to flicker.

"What if I'm not ready anytime soon?"

"I'll be here."

"But it's not fair to chain you to me," Jack processed his thoughts. "I have no right to do that to you." Then he frowned. "Where _are_ you going if you don't have to be with me anymore?"

"I don't know. All I know is that it's not the end. Something is out there... waiting for me. I can feel it." Daniel edged closer and shared his energy with Jack once more. "But you're not ready to let me go." And after a pause. "And I'm not ready to leave you, Jack."

Biting his lip, Jack leaned into the entity that was Daniel and they melted again. Torn between wonder and agony, Jack's hands tried to grab his friend's shoulders. He was here. He was real. And yet, out of reach. There was so much Jack wanted to say, such deep regret that he'd never be able to touch Daniel anymore, never be able to show him just how much...

"I know. Me too." Daniel whispered as he faded from Jack's sight.

"Daniel?!" Jack bolted upright and then cursed when the pain in his thigh spiked again.

_I need to recharge for a while. Bra'tac will be back soon_, Daniel's voice murmured in the back of his mind. _I'll be back._ I won't _leave you. _

Jack sat there, staring into the approaching darkness. And despite the single tear running down his face he felt... good. Warm. And energized.

He reached for his P90 when he heard footsteps, but it was Bra'tac who threw down firewood next to Jack. "I crossed patrolling Jaffa on my way back," he said. "It was a short fight, but I lost all the fire wood and had to collect it again." The old man quickly started a fire. He took one look at Jack's face and smiled. "You look better, O'Neill."

"Thanks."

"I brought berries and a chub'ka root for you to eat. Here." Jack took the gnarly looking root into his hands and sniffed it. Not bad. Smelled like cocoa. But he put it down and said, "There's a water canteen attached to my pack."

Bre'tac handed it to him and Jack drank the cold water, feeling it run down his throat and into his stomach. He suddenly wished there was hot coffee. A blanket would be nice, too. He was beginning to feel chilly again. He watched Bra'tac munching the chum'ka, chub'ka or whatever it was called, but he didn't feel hungry. His thoughts focused on his team and he wondered if they'd made it home in one piece...

His radio crackled.

"Sir, this is Carter. Major Kawalsky and I are on our way back to you. What's your status?"

"It's clear. And I haven't gone anywhere," Jack quipped. "What took you so long, Carter?"

"I brought back up to secure the gate," she replied. "We're almost there." As if on cue he heard them breaking through the underbrush and a moment later the beam of a flashlight blinded his eyes.

"It's about time, Carter," he grouched good-naturedly.

"Sorry, sir." She turned to Bra'tac. "Teal'c got the symbiote, but he's slipped into a coma."

"I see," Bra'tac said. "I will accompany you."

Jack grimaced as he discovered something. "A stretcher?"

"Doctor Fraiser's orders, sir," Carter said.

"I can walk. We'll be faster that way. I just need a little help," Jack groused. "C'mon, Kawalsky, help me up!"

"Sorry sir. The doc was very determined. No walking around on that leg," his friend said with a smirk.

Jack grabbed Kawalsky's arm and pulled him down so they were on eye level. "Help me up. That's an order."

"Sir," Carter said, short of rolling her eyes, "You put your life at risk by walking through the forest with that leg."

"Gimme a branch I can use as a crutch," Jack snapped.

Kawalsky shrugged when Bra'tac silently pulled an ax like weapon from his belt and began to cut down a huge branch from a tree. He measured Jack's length, pulled out his knife and quickly worked on the wood for a moment. "This should hold your weight."

They pulled Jack to his feet and he carefully put his weight on the made-up crutch, wedging its end under his armpit and wrapping his hand around a crotch. "This'll do," he said. Energized through Daniel's 'treatment' he took the lead.

Five steps later his leg gave out under him again.

Carter and Kawalsky refrained from any remark as they helped a cursing Jack onto the stretcher. Bra'tac, however, kept chuckling as they made their way to the gate.

One of the marines Carter had posted there was already dialing out when they reached the DHD.

"Sweet," Jack said, deciding to ignore his hurt pride and dignity. "Let's go home, kids."

Hammond awaited them on the other side, a relieved smile on his face and – most important to Jack – still wearing his uniform. "Welcome home, people," he greeted them, his eyes sparkling with warmth. It was good to see the man where he belonged.

It was good to be home.

"How's Teal'c?" Jack asked through gritted teeth as he was put on a gourney under Fraiser's stern eyes.

"He is still unconscious," the doc said as they were rushing him out of the gate room with everyone else following. "But his vitals are improving. We are monitoring his organ functions and the new symbiote is already healing him."

"I will sit with him," Bra'tac said when they reached the infirmary and Jack was rolled into a room.

"Did Daniel go to bed?" Jack asked Frasier as she removed the dressing from his leg and cut off his pants.

"No. Nurse Reyna got him dinner and he ate, but he refused to leave Teal'c alone."

"Stubborn little brat," Jack muttered and groaned when Fraiser gave him a shot of something in his thigh. Probably local anesthesia to ease the pain.

"I haven't had have the heart to make him leave just yet. He's so caring. Just like ours was..." Her voice trailed off.

"He's our Daniel now," Jack said, realizing how true this was.

"Yes, he is, isn't he?" After a minute of silence she cleared her throat. "I gave you a field block anesthesia so you shouldn't feel any pain in your leg. I'll do an ultrasound to make sure the dagger didn't hit an artery."

Today was Jack's lucky day. No artery had been hit and Fraiser removed the glass piece in a small surgery.

"There's deep tissue damage," she said when he was tucked away into a bed later, his thigh stitched and bandaged. "But since there's no infection it should heal just fine. You have to stay off the leg for a while though. At least until the stitches come out."

"Great," Jack groaned.

"You got very lucky, Colonel," Fraiser said sternly. "It could have been much worse. You can walk, once the anesthesia has worn off, as long as you use a crutch. Don't put too much pressure on the leg so the stitches won't burst."

"Yes, ma'am," he muttered.

"There's someone here to see you," she said, a smile softening her features. "I promised him he can visit as long as he goes to bed in ten minutes."

She left and a moment later Daniel breezed in, eyes huge with worry.

"Jack! Are you okay? Teal'c is still in a coma, but Janet says he'll make it." He came to an abrupt halt in front of Jack's bed, putting his hands behind his back. "Are you in pain?" he asked with more composure.

"I'll live." Jack grinned, patting the edge of his bed as an invite for Daniel to sit there.

Hesitantly he sat down. "What happened? Janet could only tell me you had something stuck in your leg and Sam said there was shooting on Chulak..."

"We blew up a Goa'uld tank and one of the glass pieces got stuck here." Jack pointed to his thigh, covered by the blanket. "It's nothing serious. Calm down, kiddo."

"I'm glad you brought Bra'tac back with you," Daniel said. "I think Teal'c is responding to him. They're such close friends." He bit his lips. "They are, aren't they?"

"Yes, Daniel, they are. The best." Jack saw a flicker of pain cross Daniel's eyes. That pain would probably stay with him for a long time. Jack realized his own pain had eased up a bit over the last couple of weeks. His Daniel was still with him in a way. Not physically. And maybe not forever. But for now his presence was there, like a gentle touch.

He wished this Daniel could have the same happen with his own best friend. But it looked like Jack really was the only Jack Daniel had now. He'd better get it right this time. "Hey, have you thought about coming home with me?"

He pursed his lips. "I'm not going to Abydos, I guess."

"That's still on the table. But if you want to stay I'm going to ask General Hammond about getting custody of you. It's your call."

"I liked being with you on the Tel'tak," he said after a moment without looking at Jack. His eyes were studying his hands in his lap.

"Yeah, me too," Jack replied.

"What about school?" Daniel asked wearily.

"You might have to live with a compromise situation, but we'll figure something out." Jack thought it better to be straight with the kid. He had learned the hard way that making promises he couldn't live up to would come back to bite him.

"Okay," Daniel said finally. "If... If you really want me to stay with you."

"I really want you to stay with me," Jack said sincerely, putting his hand on the kid's shoulder. "Look at me, Daniel." When those brilliant and painfully familiar blue eyes finally locked with his, Jack made a promise he intended to keep. "I'm not going to send you away, okay? We had a rocky start and I can't promise you everything's going to be perfect from here, but I'll do my best."

"Me too," Daniel said finally. He held out his hand. "Let's seal it."

Jack took the boy's hand and shook it. He knew he was sealing far more here than living arrangements. And again there was the flicker of doubt. Was he ready for this? Had he lost his mind to make such a huge commitment? Raising a kid that wasn't even his? A kid that wasn't even a normal kid. Daniel's hand felt very small in his own large one. What if Jack screwed it up again? Like he had with Charlie?

_You won't_, his own Daniel's voice whispered in his head. _You're doing the right thing, Jack_

"Now that it's settled..." Jack began, but Daniel cut him off.

"I know, I know. I should have gone to bed hours ago."

"Actually, I was gonna say we should celebrate with cake and ice cream. Tomorrow. When the Napoleon Power Monger lets me out of bed and you don't look cross-eyed anymore," Jack grinned.

"I don't look cross-eyed," Daniel said with mock irritation.

"Sure you do. Totally overtired."

"No, I'm not."

"Cross-eyed," Jack said with a nod. "Like this." He rolled his eyes wildly, making Daniel laugh.

When the door burst open and Fraiser hurried in, Daniel winced. "I was just about to go to bed, honestly."

"Teal'c is awake," she exclaimed, ignoring Daniel's sheepish look. "He just woke up. Most of his vitals are back to normal, the symbiote is taking care of it!"

"YES!" Jack and Daniel yelled together and spontaneously high-fived each other.

"I told him he'd better wake up. After all you just got him back," Daniel grinned.

"We," Jack said. "We got him back. He's your Teal'c too, now."

Another shadow fell over the boy's face. "Yeah," Daniel said solemnly. "He is."

"Now both of you need rest," Fraiser decided. "Daniel, Sgt. Davis has your quarters ready. Cassie's is right next to yours. Colonel, you'll get dinner in a bit and then it's light out in here."

"Yes, ma'am," they replied as one. Daniel slipped from Jack's bed and gave him one last genuine smile before he left.

Jack caught himself grinning widely at the closing door.

"I take it you are going to keep him after all," Fraiser said with a knowing little smile.

"As long as he behaves and does his chores. I'm no hotel, you know," Jack growled.

Shaking her head at him she left the room, laughing.

**3**

Daniel was anxious.

Not about the briefing which had been postponed until now.

But about Jack asking General Hammond... about Jack taking him home. Okay, not about the fact that Jack WAS taking him home. But Daniel knew how things sometimes went. Life wasn't fair. And not always kind, no matter if you were grown up or a kid in some way.

What if General Hammond didn't approve of Jack taking him home? What if Jack got court-martial after all for going through the gate without authorization? Though, Daniel concluded, Jack had saved the day. He should get a medal for what he'd done. Jack and everyone who was involved in freeing him and Cassie and bringing Teal'c back.

Yet, so much could still go wrong. And Daniel suddenly realized he really wanted to go home with Jack. He hadn't been sure of it until Jack had been injured on Chulak. Sure, they had spent a lot of time together on the Tel'tak and Jack seemed to be much less cranky since he rescued them from Makepeace's base. But Daniel still hadn't been sure that's what he wanted... but then Jack hat gotten injured and until he'd known for sure that it hadn't been a life threatening injury, Daniel had secretly prayed to any god who might have listened that he wouldn't lose this Jack, too.

It was the only Jack he had left.

They would work it out somehow, even if it wasn't the same as it had been... home. Maybe he could find a home away from home with this Jack.

And now that everyone had gathered around the briefing room table, Daniel felt a lump in his throat. What if General Hammond insisted on Daniel going to that boarding school despite what Jack wanted? What if...?

"Hey, kiddo, you okay?" Jack settled down in the chair next to Daniel and leaned his cane against the table.

"I'm fine, Jack," Daniel said automatically.

Jack ruffled his hair just like his Jack used to do and for the first time the gesture didn't bring a jolt of pain, but a warm feeling. "Remember, cake and ice cream as soon as we're done here."

"To celebrate." Daniel nodded. Then he bit his lip. "Jack, what if..."

But he was interrupted by General Hammond clearing his throat.

The base commander opened the briefing by informing them that all the prisoners they'd sent through were in Washington under arrest and being interrogated. The data Sam had downloaded from their base's computer and the batch of stolen and back engineered technology they'd brought back with the Tel'tak had been enough evidence to bring every single one of their prisoners to trial.

So far there was no trace of Colonel Makepeace or Maybourne, but Daniel hoped that someone among the prisoners would eventually reveal the location of the new base. Or maybe the new loaction's gate address was among the data Sam took from their computers.

"That's our status at the moment. I'll keep you all posted about the progress," Hammond ended his speech. "I have to inform you, you will need to make yourselves available for further hearings eventually, but you all know the drill. Teal'c, the Joint Chiefs are especially interested in your report since you've been on that off world base for a long time."

"I was held in my cell most of the time when they were not experimenting on me and my prim'ta," Teal'c said, folding his hands on the table. Daniel thought he looked a lot better than yesterday. The new symbiote had repaired all the damages the old prim'ta hadn't been able to deal with. "But I will provide you with as much detail and information as I can give you."

"I know you will, Teal'c. And with that we can move to our next point." The general re-arranged the files in front of him before he continued. "I need a report from every one of you about the events on that base." He turned to Daniel and Cassie and gently addressed them. "I'm afraid I need reports from both of you, too. And Doctor MacKenzie will talk to you to help you process what you experienced during your time as hostages. We'll do everything to make this as smooth and fast for you as possible."

Cassie nodded sincerely. "Most of the time we were fine. I was left alone a lot, but they didn't hurt us," she said. "I'll tell Doctor MacKenzie everything I know, sir."

"Me, too," Daniel said quietly. He wasn't looking forward to having to talk to MacKenzie, but he'd live.

"Good," Hammond answered with a smile. "Now, Colonel O'Neill if you'll give us a quick report on how you managed to escape from that base..."

"Actually," Jack said, "It was Carter who saved the day. With help from Daniel and Cassie. The rest of us only did the dirty work."

They told their tale in turns and General Hammond listened, intrigued, especially when Daniel and Cassie reported how they'd found Teal'c and managed to steal radios and binoculars and used the ventilation system to escape. "We wouldn't have made it without Sam and Jack though," Daniel finished his part of the story. "And everyone else who came to rescue us." He blushed and gave everyone at the table a shy smile. "Thank you, all of you, for coming for us."

"And risking your lives for us," Cassie said, blushing even more than Daniel. "And being on the Tel'tak was really cool. I've never been on a space ship before."

"Hey, no one gets left behind," Lou said with a megawatt grin. "That's our motto."

"And you kids were super brave," Kawalsky added. "Right, Colonel?"

"Absolutely," Jack confirmed with a huge grin.

Cassie beamed at him from across the table and Daniel bit his lower lip, before finally settling for a smile.

"If it was up to me, people, each one of you would get a medal," Hammond said with a grim expression. "However, as you may have guessed, the Pentagon wants to keep a lid on this one for several reasons."

"Go figure," Feretti grumbled.

"So there won't be any official commendation. However, I'm authorized to put an entry into each of your records about your outstanding work, not only for your country, but Earth."

"I think I'm speaking for all of us when I say the most important thing is; we got our kids back. And we put a stop to their little club of techno thieves. For now." Jack said. "A positive entry in my record would be nice though, thank you, sir," he quipped after a heartbeat.

Daniel could tell General Hammond couldn't suppress a smile as he dismissed them. "Colonel O'Neill, I need to talk to you in my office for a moment."

_Here it comes_, Daniel thought. _The huge big conclusion._

"Are you coming to the commissary with us, Daniel? The Colonel said something about cake earlier." Sam put an arm around Cassie.

"Cake? Do I hear cake?" Kawalsky exchanged a broad grin with Feretti. "What's to celebrate?"

"Nothing yet," Daniel said hastily.

"Oh, I don't know. I think having both of you back is a valid reason for celebrating wildly." Feretti grinned.

Janet winked at Daniel and addressed the others. "Why don't we go ahead and Daniel and the colonel will join us later?"

Sam sent a worried look at the general's closed office door. Through the window they could see Jack sitting in one of the visitor's chair. It looked like they were discussing something calmly. "You guys don't think the colonel will be dressed down for going through the gate against orders?"

"No," Kawalsky said with a shake of his head. "Who in his right mind would do that? We saved those kids. And nailed the rats."

"Yeah," Feretti said thoughtfully. "But you never know."

"Come on, that's not gonna happen," Kawalsky huffed. "They owe him. Big time." With an impressed look at Sam, he added. "Actually, they owe both of you."

"General Hammond said the president wants to keep a lid on it," Daniel chimed in anxiously. "What if they make Jack retire? That way they wouldn't have to dress him down or court martial him, but they could officially say they disciplined him for unauthorized gate travel."

"Hammond won't allow it," Kawalsky said confidently. "He's a good man."

"Unless his hands are tied," Feretti muttered. "The kid has a point."

"But Uncle Jack saved us! And he kicked ass," Cassie said with feeling. When Janet coughed and the two men turned away to hide their chuckles, she shrugged. "What? He did! Big time!"

"When she's right, she's right," Sam said with a shrug.

"You can go to the commissary," Daniel repeated Sam's suggestion from earlier. "I'll... I'll wait here for Jack."

Kawalsky sat down heavily in his chair again. "I'm not all that hungry right now, DJ. I'll keep you company."

"Me too." Feretti shrugged and sat down, too.

"Me three." Sam started pacing the briefing room.

"As will I", Teal'c said and remained seated.

Janet smiled as she and Cassie retook their chairs as well.

And so they waited.

"What's taking them so long?" Sam asked. She had her arms crossed over her chest and stared out into the gate room.

Daniel wondered if he should try to sneak over to the door to see if he could hear what was being said. But that wasn't the proper thing to do and everyone would just think he was nosy. And Jack didn't like him eavesdropping.

But he hated to sit here and wait, even though he was grateful for the company.

When he heard Jack calling his name, Daniel almost jumped out of his chair. He'd been caught so deeply in his brooding, he hadn't noticed Jack was standing in the open office door, looking expectantly at him. And a little confused at the rest of his team hanging out in the briefing room.

"The general wants to talk to you, Daniel," Jack said.

"Oh, okay." Feeling a little nauseous, he followed Jack inside. His knees were kind of wobbly, too. And his hands were sweating. He told himself sternly to get a grip, but a tiny, niggling voice began to chant in the back of his mind.

_Please don't send me to the boarding school, please don't send me to a foster home, please don't... _

"Have a seat, son," General Hammond said warmly.

"Thank you, sir," Daniel mumbled and sat down on the edge of the chair next to Jack.

"Colonel O'Neill tells me he would like you to stay with him permanently. Is that what you want as well?"

"Yes, sir." Daniel tried not to fidget. "If I can't stay with him I would like to request to be sent to Abydos..."

"Colonel O'Neill has informed me about that option."

"Oh," was all Daniel could say.

"Daniel, you do understand the Colonel will be going back into the field again after a considerable leave time. That means we'll have to find a solution for where you would stay when he's off world."

Daniel's eyes widened. "You aren't going to court martial him then or make him retire!" The words burst out before he could hold them back. "I mean... I just..."

"No, we aren't." The general actually smirked. "If anyone wanted to put him through trial they'd have to court martial me too, since I supported Colonel O'Nelil's actions one hundred percent. But that won't happen either, so no worries."

Yes!" Daniel exclaimed. At the general's smile and Jack's snort, he felt the heat creeping into his cheeks. He shouldn't behave like that in front of the general. "Sorry, sir," he hastened to say. "But everyone was worried..." He trailed off and gazed down at his hands.

"Daniel," the general said. "I had to call the president about who will have custody of you. If it was just me, I'd sign any paper necessary. Personally I'm relieved Colonel O'Neill wants to adopt you. I wasn't very keen on sending you to a boarding school myself. However, it had been a suggestion from Washington and you are aware this isn't something I can decide alone, right?"

The lump in his throat was suddenly back. "Yes, sir," he murmured, not sure anyone would hear him over his pounding heart.

"I knew a thing or two about our Daniel Jackson. If he'd been transformed into a boy we wouldn't have sent him away to live with someone else either. He belonged here, no matter what."

"But... but I'm not him," Daniel said anxiously. "I know I'm a security risk in a way. And that the president doesn't trust me. And that you don't want me to work on base in your linguistic department. Because... because I'm not him."

"Yeah, well, things change," Jack spoke for the first time. "Let the general finish, Daniel."

"But... ."

"See what I mean, sir? Just like the grown up version," Jack said in mock despair.

"I see," the general said, but the smile returned to his face. "Now, Colonel O'Neill informed me you belong here as much as your counterpart did. And I have come to believe he's right."

Daniel swallowed down the lump and finally could breath more freely again.

He belonged here.

Maybe that wasn't all the way true. He belonged in his own universe. But there was no way for him to go back, so this was the next best thing, right?

"The colonel also convinced me that you're not just a kid. Though I'd already come to that conclusion on my own. The president approved of Colonel O'Neill adopting you. And you are welcome to work at the SGC's linguistic program part time."

"But... why all of a sudden?" Daniel squirmed in his chair. "Don't think I'm not grateful, I am. Very. Ah, but, why... ?"

"Colonel Makepeace kidnapped you to translate Goa'uld mothership plans. That was enough to convince me and the president," Hammond said. "And I have it from good authority you are going to be a valuable asset to the SGC. And that we'd be crazy not to let you work here."

"Oh," Daniel said again. He was so embarrassed because all he seemed to do was stutter and say stupid things.

"To that end," Hammond said, "Welcome at the SGC, Doctor Jackson. However, you have to be aware there'll be rules and conditions to your ability to work here. You will not go off world for example. And you will have to go through a home schooling program as part of your cover story."

"Yes, sir." Daniel felt a rock falling from his chest. "Thank you, sir," he added, letting out a huge breath. "I won't disappoint you. I'll work real hard." Again, that sounded so juvenile. But Daniel just didn't know what else to say. He was kind of overwhelmed.

Before he knew it they were dismissed and back in the briefing room where they were surrounded by Sam, Teal'c, Janet, Cassie, Major Kawalsky and Captain Feretti. There was a lot of shoulder clapping and laughter when Jack confirmed that he was the new old leader of SG-1. "The best thing is that we start off with four weeks extra leave for SG-1."

"That's typical," Kawalsky growled in mock anger. "You had to stick something into your leg to get leave out of it, too, eh?"

"If you have to know, I requested extended leave some time ago," Jack said, and for a moment Daniel thought he was mad at Major Kawalsky for being so flippant. But then he added. "My kid's going to visit me." And with a look at Daniel. "My other kid."

"Charlie's coming to stay with you?" Kawalsky's eyes widened.

"Yep."

"That's great. Hey, how long has it been since he was last here?"

"Two years." Jack exchanged a knowing look with Major Kawalsky and Daniel remembered that in his universe Kawalsky had been Charlie's godfather. Jack's son had even been named after the major. Maybe it was the same here?

"Well, make sure to invite me over for barbeque when he's here," Major Kawalsky said.

Jack snorted. "You bringing the beer?"

"Oh, yeah."

The little procession made its way to the commissary for cake and ice cream.

Teal'c loaded his tray with so many cupcakes, pieces of cream pie, donuts and bowls of ice cream that everyone gaped at him. "I did not have the luxury of dessert during my captivity," he simply said, glaring at everyone – Jack in particular - who might dare try to snatch something from his tray.

Janet rolled her eyes. "Teal'c, you're the only person I know who can eat all this stuff without getting fat. Or sick. Which is the only reason why I won't tell you how unhealthy all this is." She craned her neck to have a better look. "Is that peanutbutter pie? I have to get that, too!"

"Yeah. Bring some of the donuts, too. The pink ones," Jack called after her.

Daniel was having a hard time concentrating on his chocolate fudge with whipped cream though. He kept thinking of what Jack must have told Hammond and that maybe he really meant all that. About him being a valuable asset to the SGC and belonging here.

He was still thinking about all that when they finally left the mountain and he helped Jack put the cane into the back of the truck. "Are you sure you can drive, Jack?" he asked worriedly.

"Sure, no problem. Hop in."

"You know, I can drive, too," Daniel said when he put on his seatbelt.

"Yeah, but you're not going to. Not. Ever. You got that?"

"Not ever?" Daniel asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Not until you legally have a license again," Jack said sternly.

"You let me fly a Tel'tak," Daniel objected.

"Well, there's no known age restriction about flying space ships. And no police patrolling the universe," Jack muttered.

"Would you believe me if I told you my Jack let me drive his truck all the time?"

"Nice try, brat," Jack said with a snort. Then he gave Daniel the colonel-glare. "You ever take my truck, or any other car for that matter, you'll be in so much trouble you won't see the end of it for a while. I mean it."

"Relax, I was just kidding." He shook his head and gazed out his window at the lazy summer day traffic. "Jack?" he asked after a while.

"Daniel?"

"Thank you. For all the nice things you said about me to General Hammond. And... for taking me home."

Jack cleared his throat. "Well, it was all true. Don't let it go to your head though." After a moment of silence, he said, "There's something I wanna get before we head home."

That 'something' turned out to be a new basketball. They stopped at the mall and Jack bought one in a sports shop. "Charlie's good at this. Maybe the two of you can play."

"Can I invite Cassie too?"

"Yeahsureyabetcha." Jack ruffled his hair and Daniel grinned up at him.

Twenty minutes later they turned into their neighborhood. When they finally parked in the garage, Jack turned off the engine and Daniel hopped out to get the cane for him.

"It's good you won't have to be alone now," he told Jack as they carefully made their way to the front door. "You need someone to help you with that leg."

"Are you saying you're going to mother hen me?" Jack groused.

Daniel punched in the code for the alarm system and opened the door. "Only a little bit. I think we need to go grocery shopping soon. And we have to decide where I'm going to sleep when Charlie comes to stay."

"Oy." Jack sighed and fell onto a kitchen chair. "You mean where Charlie is going to sleep. It's your room now."

"Jack. It was Charlie's room before. You can't just make him sleep on the couch just because I took over his room," Daniel said. "That's not fair. I can sleep on the couch in your office so Charlie can have his room," Daniel suggested.

But Jack shook his head. "Charlie hasn't been here in two years. You live with me now, so it's become your room. He'll get over it."

"I'd rather he gets the room and I'll take the couch." Daniel wasn't going to make himself Charlie's enemy right from the beginning by taking his room. He would survive sleeping on the couch for a couple of weeks. He was used to adapting, so this was a piece of cake, really. And he had no problems with it either.

Jack looked unconvinced. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Look, it's probably gonna be a shock for him to suddenly have to share his dad with another kid. I don't want him to be mad at me right from the start."

"That's real considerate of you," Jack said thoughtfully. "I could empty out one of the cabinets you can take some of your stuff from your room into my office."

"Okay."

"And by the way... you can use my computer. Until you have your own."

Daniel's face split into a huge grin. "Thanks, Jack, that's cool. When will Charlie be here? Do I have to pack my things right away?"

"Not until next week, so don't panic." Jack looked through the mail on the table. "I think I'll go out on the deck and read the papers from the last couple of days. What about you?"

Daniel wanted to do something normal and relaxing, too. To continue on his puzzle and to go through his new books for example. "I'd like to read for a while. I'm going to fix dinner later, so don't worry about it, okay?"

"Nice," Jack said and Daniel went off to his room. He was already in the hallway when Jack called after him. "Hey!"

Daniel stuck his head back into the kitchen. "Yeah?"

"Welcome home, kiddo." Jack gave him a warm smile, wedged the papers under one arm and maneuvered himself and his cane through the door to the dining room.

Home.

Daniel pondered that word as he stood alone in the sun drenched kitchen.

A little voice in his head was still fretting about several things.

He wondered if he and Jack would get along long term without thinking they'd made a huge mistake. He hoped Charlie would like him and that Jack and his son would find a way to solve their issues, whatever those were.

On the other hand he would work at the mountain and do what he loved doing. Translating. He didn't have to go to school and he didn't have to live in a foster home. Maybe he really was home again. Only time would tell.

For the first time since he'd been stranded here, Daniel felt content enough to see the silver lining at the horizon and to believe his life wasn't always going to be like a puzzle with scattered or missing pieces.

And then the sunlight falling through the kitchen window seemed to wink at him and the lush green trees waved their leaves, calling him to come out and have fun. Daniel's heart was suddenly light with the joy of being able to go outside, to seize the day. He wanted to move. He had been underground and on that ship for so long...

He forgot all about his puzzle and books as he grabbed the new basketball and ran out into the driveway. The truck was in the garage and the old basket over the door cheered him on as he tentatively tried a few shots, trying to remember what Jack and Cassie had taught him.

"You're getting good at that," Jack called from where he was sitting on the deck. He put his paper down, reached for his cane and moved surprisingly fast across the yard until he leaned against the fence, watching Daniel play.

"I'm not. Not really," Daniel said as he caught the ball when it bounced off the basket. "But that's okay," He wrapped his arms around the ball. "When I was still big, Jack and I did a lot of running together. On Sunday mornings. At the park and around the lake. I liked that. Not many people out there and when we were real early we could see the sun coming out."

"Yeah," Jack said with a little smile. "We did that, too."

"Really?"

"We used to meet on Sundays and take a run around the lake, then have coffee at Starbucks. We never skipped it unless we were off world. It's one of those things I miss doing."

"I'm sorry. I didn't want to make you sad..."

"No." He shook his head, the smile remaining in his eyes. "It's okay. It's okay to remember them, Daniel. And it's okay to be sad, too. Someone once told me that keeping it all in makes one bitter and grouchy."

Daniel blushed, remembering how he had yelled at Jack that day after their hospital stay. "Are you sure?" He didn't want to hurt Jack and if he'd rather not talk about his Daniel...

"Yeah. You might have to remind me about it from time to time though. Think you can do that?"

"I can do that," Daniel said as he returned Jack's smile.

**Epilogue**

_So, how is it going?_

_Why are you asking? You're in my head, you should know. _

Jack took a sip of his beer and gazed at the cloudless, starry sky as he listened to the crickets' evening concert. Stargazing on the deck wasn't the same as on the roof, but he was still slightly handicapped. The stitches would come out tomorrow though.

_Actually_, Daniel's voice said with a hint of amusement, _I'm not always in your head anymore._

_Yeah? I noticed that. Not a word from you since we left the SGC._ It was meant to sound like a whine and it did, even though Jack didn't say it out loud. _What'cha up to then? _

_I'm not sure how... but I can travel through... space._ He sounded so much in awe, it made Jack smile. Daniel was excited. And even without body language to underline his amazement, it was right there in his voice. _I'm still practicing. Maybe it's because you're more relaxed now, more willing to let go... _

_I'm not willing to let you go,_ Jack said, slight panic overcoming him. But he stomped it down, giving himself a mental kick. _I mean... I'd like you to... stick around. Do you think this is weird? Because I still think it is._

_Ye-ah, it's kind of weird and I don't know how it works. Daniel has to find out for me. In the Imhotep files. _

_The stone of Akh, I know, I know. We won't be back at the SGC for a while though. _He thought about that for a moment, then asked, _And what am I going to tell him? He'll ask questions if I ask him to look it up for me._

_Tell him the truth. He'll understand._

_Are you sure?_

_Yeah._

Jack took a swig of his beer. _How urgent is it for you to know? To figure out if there's a way to... leave? _

_I can wait. I'm just impatient. Not about leaving you. Not that._ Daniel's bodiless voice was tender now, caressing even. _I'd never leave you._ _But I feel there's so much more waiting for me. Out there. But I can't stay away from you for long. It's like I'm being pulled from two sides. Something out there is calling me. But at the same time you keep calling me back. _

Jack looked up at the sky. _Out there? You mean in space?_

_Yeah. I can move... to other places. Planets. I'm not sure how. It's a little like having an astral body._

_Whoa. Meaning of life stuff, eh?_

_Yeah. I guess._ Daniel grew excited again and his excitement vibrated through Jack like a burst of youthful energy. _Jack, I wish you could be with me and see what I've seen. There's so much to explore out there we haven't discovered yet. So many worlds, so many secrets and wonders. The stargate is only the beginning of it all._

_You just discovered how to leave me a couple of days ago. Been exploring the whole universe already? _

_Time somehow doesn't apply to me anymore. I can be somewhere in the blink of an eye. It's... complicated. Like being on another plane of existence. _Then the excitement ebbed away and made space for sadness. _I miss you. Even being this close to you, it's not the same. I wish we'd had the guts to tell each other when I still had a body. _

Oh yeah. Jack missed him too. In more ways than one. _Can you show yourself again? Like you did on Chulak? _

_It takes a lot of energy to take some kind of physical form, even if it's just an illusion I can create for you somehow. _

_Try, _Jack said. _Please?_

_You know you should have reported this, _Daniel said out of the blue. _You're running around with some entity in your head._

Jack sighed. Yes, he should have reported it. But he hadn't. He'd made a choice to keep Daniel's presence - in whatever form - to himself for the time being.

_I trust you. Always have. _He shrugged. _I want to see you._

_What if the kid sees me? He shouldn't see me before you tell him, I don't want him to freak._

_He's asleep. He had a lot of fun at the picnic today. Fraiser makes a mean potato salad. Though Teal'c ate most of it. Man, that guy can eat. I'd almost forgotten how much he can stomach. And the kids played board games all afternoon in the yard._ It was nice to see Daniel having a good time and when Jack had watched him this afternoon, he'd felt something very close to paternal joy.

He watched, mesmerized, as the softly glowing outlines of his Daniel's body formed in front of him until he was there. "You're beautiful," he breathed.

Daniel chuckled. "If you'd ever said that to me before I would've knocked you on your butt."

"I never would have said that to you before," Jack growled, kind of embarrassed for his slip. Still he added. "But it's true."

Daniel held out his hands in front of him. "Maybe one day I'll learn how to touch again. To manifest a physical form. Maybe I'll find someone like me out there. Someone who can teach me how to control what I can do. To find out what I really am now."

"Yeah. Until then you could do the warming me up thing again," Jack suggested.

"Minnesota boy getting cold in the middle of July?" Daniel teased. He stepped forward and wrapped himself around Jack like an energy blanket. The warmth seeped through him, but it was a different kind of warmth. Not the heat you would feel from a fire or the sun. Daniel was in and around him, filling him wordlessly with all the things they could never have said or shared before.

And Jack opened, almost reluctantly, to the sensation, in a clumsy attempt to show Daniel how much he loved him, too. Wanted him, needed him. And how beyond all that, Jack had always respected Daniel, despite his often rude and cynical attitude towards the archaeologist.

He was aware Daniel had seen all these things in him already, since he ended up 'living' in Jack's mind.

But this was different, because Jack was making an effort to let Daniel see through all his smokescreens. Something he'd never allowed anyone before. Not to this degree. Never before had Jack made himself this vulnerable willingly.

_Thank you,_ Daniel whispered somewhere inside him. _I have to go now. But I won't be far. Whenever you need me, I'm here._

When the glow slowly subsided, Jack sat motionless in his deckchair. Slowly the world tuned itself in again, the singing crickets, the soft rustling of leaves in the low breeze, distant noises of the highway, a barking dog somewhere.

"Daniel?"

There was no answer, but he could still feel Daniel's presence everywhere like a gentle touch, like a soothing hand in his hair. Like a promise.

He'd be back.

And for now that was enough.

Fin

Notes:

This story was originally written in 2009 and when I finished it, I had planned a sequel because there are lots of loose ends. Like what about the artifacts at Area 51? How will Charlie's visit affect Jack and Daniel? And, of course, what is going to happen to Big Daniel in his current state... Sadly, I haven't felt the pull to write in this universe again enough to actually start on that sequel, so I can't say if it's ever going to happen. But re-reading this in order to polish it up for the archives has made me wonder if the sequel is still somewhere inside me. So I'm going to think about it and see what comes out of it some day. In the meantime, thank you for reading. This was a bit of a different approach for me and it was fun to have so many supporitng characters in the story. :) Anne 


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